Speculation has been bubbling all day and the shoe has finally dropped.  HP CEO Leo Apotheker is being replaced by Meg Whitman, per an announcement Apotheker made today.  Whitman is known for her tenure at eBay, and is regarded for her experience in running a large technology company.  Apotheker stepped in as HP’s CEO just 11 months ago in the wake of Mark Hurd’s own drama, who was forced out of the company as CEO after a high profile sex scandal.

So here we are, three CEOs in less than two years, looking for the right leader at HP.  This is a company with its own set of issues, which were brought on by Apotheker’s decision to separate the PC manufacturing arm from the rest of the company.  With a background in software Apotheker was a gamble to begin with, only because he wasn’t the expected choice for HP.  And while Apotheker’s vision is reportedly going to remain as HP’s directive with Whitman at the helm, there’s a lot of questions being raised as to HP’s direction and leadership.

Here, John Furrier takes a deeper look at the HP saga of 2011, anticipating earlier today of Apotheker’s departure.