Google CEO Eric Schmidt leaves Apple board

It was only a matter of time, but Google CEO Eric Schmidt has resigned from Apple's board of directors after three years in the post. The announcement comes only a week after Apple pulled Google Voice from the App Store, a decision which has been met with much criticism and is currently under investigation by the FCC.

In a press release sent out this morning, Steve Jobs failed to mention that recent spat but did acknowledge a conflict of interests. Particularly with Google’s Android-powered phones and upcoming Chrome OS taking on the iPhone and Macs, respectively, Schmidt had to recuse himself from large portions of the company's board meetings involving areas of overlap between the two.

In addition to competing on handset and computer operating systems, the companies cross over into each other's paths in the browser market, consumer photo software, productivity software, and video services.