Google and Apple get closer with Eric Schmidt on both boards

Stan Beer
Wednesday, 30 August 2006 18:34

Your IT - Home IT

Google CEO Eric Schmidt has joined the board of directors of Apple Computers in a move that can be seen as bringing the two Silicon Valley technology giants closer together.

Schmidt will now sit on both the Google and Apple boards and thus have a unique insight into the strategies and directions of both companies and any synergies that can be achieved.

It's almost ironic that the announcement was made on a day when an advertising driven challenge was issued by Universal music to the Apple iTunes paid downloads model.

Google is the acknowledged leader in deriving advertising revenue from internet traffic and the inclusion of Schmidt on Apple's board could be taken as an indication that the IT company wants to better utilise the vast volumes of traffic coming to its iTunes site.

Apple has little experience in the search engine advertising space and could be looking to add another revenue stream to its kit bag, while also exploring the possibility of life after paid music downloads become obsolete.

"Eric is obviously doing a terrific job as CEO of Google, and we look forward to his contributions as a member of Apple's board of directors," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "Like Apple, Google is very focused on innovation and we think Eric's insights and experience will be very valuable in helping to guide Apple in the years ahead."

"Apple is one of the companies in the world that I most admire," said Eric Schmidt. "I'm really looking forward to working with Steve and Apple's board to help with all of the amazing things Apple is doing."

One thing both companies have in common is a strong desire to stay at least one step ahead of Microsoft.