AT&T, T-Mobile and 'everyone's patience'

owner of the wireless network that until just last month was the exclusive carrier for Apple's iPhone -- revealed it intends to buy much smaller rival T-Mobile for $39 billion. Would such a combination be good or bad for iPhone users, owners of devices running Google's Android operating system and other clients? Anticipating questions like this, AT&T explained that the acquisition would help it establish a nationwide 4G network providing higher-speed service to 95 percent of U.S. wireless clients. "While the past few years, America's high-tech industry has delivered technology at unprecedented speed, and this combination will accelerate its continued growth," AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said in the statement announcing the deal. Nevertheless "...

The Cupertino maker of Mac computers

Apple -- the Cupertino maker of Mac computers and "i" devices -- disclosed that it was moving ahead with the launch three days later -- as promised -- of the iPad 2 in 25 more countries. Apple, you might recall, launched the new tablet computer in this country March 11. Clients and analysts have reported the iPad 2 has since been finally supply, with shipping dates on Apple's online store pushed out to three, four or five weeks. "We're experiencing amazing demand for iPad 2 in the U.S., and clients around the world have told us they can't wait to get their hands on it," Apple CEO Steve Jobs noted. "We appreciate everyone's patience and we are working hard to build enough iPads for everyone."

Speaking of Apple, its senior vice president of Mac software engineering, Bertrand Serlet, announced that he is leaving the company. Serlet -- who worked with Jobs at computer maker Then and there before it was acquired by Apple in the 1990s -- said he "had an incredible time developing products at both Then and there and Apple, but as late as this, I want to focus less on products and more on science."

We'll admit it: We're enamored with Apple and the potential drama over a huge telecom merger. Nevertheless we're as well fascinated with the ongoing drama involving Oracle -- the acquisitive Redwood City software and hardware maker -- and its Silicon Valley "frenemy," Palo Alto tech pioneer Hewlett-Packard. A day afterwards Oracle said it would stop developing software for server computers running Intel's Itanium chip, HP blasted the decision as a "shameless" move by Oracle executives to "shore up their failing Sun server business." Intel, in its turn, issued a statement saying it remains "firmly committed" to Itanium.

Speaking of Oracle, it reported a $2.1 billion profit for its most recent quarter, up 78 percent from a year previously. Revenue climbed 37 percent to $8.8 billion, beating Wall Street forecasts. While the quarter, Oracle "signed several large hardware and software deals with some of the biggest names in cloud computing," CEO Larry Ellison noted -- highlighting a growing business in which Oracle competes with such rivals as IBM and -- yes -- HP.