WebProNews

This morning, a strong tie between Google and Apple was dissolved.  Google's CEO, Eric Schmidt, resigned from Apple's board of directors.

This development doesn't necessarily mean that Google and Apple are becoming hostile.  The two companies have been good corporate friends for many years, with Schmidt serving on Apple's board of directors since August of 2006.

Apple's CEO, Steve Jobs, also said in a statement, "Eric has been an excellent Board member for Apple, investing his valuable time, talent, passion and wisdom to help make Apple successful."  And he characterized Schmidt's departure as a mutual decision.

But Jobs pointed out, "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."

Then there's the controversial business about Google Voice getting banned from Apple's App Store to consider.

Anyway, the FTC and other groups with an eye for antitrust issues may appreciate this move, and Apple hasn't yet named a replacement for Schmidt.

Update: Schmidt's departure is getting increasing amounts of tension, with four of the top ten trending topics on Twitter now relating to it.