Google CEO joins Apple's board

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc. (GOOG.O: Quote, Profile, Research) CEO Eric Schmidt is joining Apple Computer Inc.'s (AAPL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) board of directors, the computer maker said on Tuesday, creating a close tie between two of Silicon Valley's most iconic companies.
The addition of Schmidt to the board of Cupertino, California,-based Apple brings the total number of board members to eight, including Steve Jobs, Apple's co-founder and CEO, and Al Gore, former vice president of the United States.

Schmidt was elected at a board meeting held on Tuesday, an Apple spokesman said. He also sits on the board of directors of Mountain View, California,-based Google and Princeton University's board of trustees.

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

Schmidt joined Google from software maker Novell Inc. (NOVL.O: Quote, Profile, Research) where he was chairman and CEO. Previously, he was chief technology officer at Sun Microsystems Inc. (SUNW.O: Quote, Profile, Research) . In the early 1980s he worked as a researcher at Xerox's Palo Alto Research Centre (PARC) and at Bell Labs and ZiLOG.