Apple has just announced that Google CEO Eric Schmidt has resigned from his position on Apple's Board of Directors.Apple's CEO Steve Jobs issued the following statement:
"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. Therefore, we have mutually decided that now is the right time for Eric to resign his position on Apple's Board."
It's hardly surprising that Schmidt has resigned from the board. With Google moving to create the Chrome OS and Android it is now directly competing with Apple rather than offering web based services for Apple to use. Speculation surrounding Schmidt's position began shortly after Google announced their Chrome OS. Schmidt already had to excuse himself from iPhone meetings with the board, as it conflicted with the Android division of Google, however, despite this, the FTC was investigating the link between the companies to ensure that there were no anti-trust violations. Schmidt was not sitting in on iPhone meetings, after the release of Google OS chances are the same would have happen with Mac OS meetings... so he would have been left with overseeing the iPod.
Schmidt has been on Apple's board since August 2006. The news follows reports that the FCC is investigating Apple's rejection of Google's Voice app for the iPhone.
Why? Until the release of the G1, Google and Apple were not competing in ANY market. When they did start marketing products in the same market (the G1), he stepped away from meetings about the competing product (the iPhone). Now that they are competing in more areas, he has done the correct thing by stepping down completely.
No, but there's more than "his" conflicts of interest going here. like the other FCC investigation about to tight integration/cooperation between Apple and google.
There is not "tight" between Apple and Google hence the current FCC investigation
LOL, no, no it's not.
I don't think that will happen. There is nothing stopping Google from contributing to the iPhone. They just can't be in the board meetings for it.
Last edited by bdsams on 03 Aug 2009 - 14:32
What about Arthur Levinson? I believe he still serves as a corporate director for both Apple and Google.
I'll be astonished if Google Maps, etc feature as prominantly in the next version of iPhone.
Seriusly, ATT had very little if anything to do with it.
Apple has powerful enough to decide things for themselves, they aren't run by ATT, if anything they are the ones pushing ATT around. ATT don't want to lose the iPhone. And after all it was in Apple's self interest since Apple gets a significant percentage of the owners usage of an iPhone on ATT contracts.
Apple has powerful enough to decide things for themselves, they aren't run by ATT, if anything they are the ones pushing ATT around. ATT don't want to lose the iPhone. And after all it was in Apple's self interest since Apple gets a significant percentage of the owners usage of an iPhone on ATT contracts.
ATT has been a thorn in apples side for a long time... things from blocking MMS/Tethering to holding back video recording because of network infrastructure/capacity issues.
I'd be really surprised if Apple sticks around for another exclusive contract.
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