The chief executive of Google today resigned from his position on the board of directors of Apple, a position he had held since 2006, in a move which was not entirely unexpected.
The resignation occurs amid growing concerns that the search giant is coming more and more into competition with the iPod’s creators, and both parties claimed it was by mutual agreement.
“Eric has been an excellent Board member for Apple, investing his valuable time, talent, passion and wisdom to help make Apple successful,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Unfortunately, as Google enters more of Apple’s core businesses, with Android and now Chrome OS, Eric’s effectiveness as an Apple Board member will be significantly diminished, since he will have to recuse himself from even larger portions of our meetings due to potential conflicts of interest.”
It is believed that Schmidt had already found himself having to excuse himself on a regular basis from meetings, so the move had become more or less inevitable.
Just last month, Google announced the launch of its own operating system for PCs, Chrome OS – a potential competitor for Apple’s Mac systems. And of course, Google’s Android operating system is used in mobile devices that would compete directly with the iPhone.
Back in May, a Federal Trade Commission inquiry was announced that would look into the role of Schmidt on the board of Apple, but Schmidt had widely stated that he did not believe that the commission would find any evidence of anti-competitiveness.
While Apple does bundle many Google applications onto the iPhone such as Google search, Google Maps and YouTube, in July Apple blocked an application using the search giant’s telecoms service, Google Voice.
By Ann O’Dea
Article courtesy of siliconrepublic.com
