“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.”

Dr. Eric Schmidt Resigns from Apple’s Board of Directors

It’s tooting your own horn day about this, so I’ll do the same.

Back in May when the FTC started looking into the Apple/Google relationship, I wrote that I didn’t think this would cause Schmidt to step down (despite many saying so). I saw this merely as a shot across Google’s bow by the FTC.

A few days later, Schmidt made a statement that he had no plans to resign despite the inquiry.

But when Google dropped the Chrome OS bomb in July, it changed everything. As I wrote:

“But Google getting into the OS business makes things decidedly more murky, even if the two OSes (Chrome OS and OS X) aren’t likely to have much effect on each other. Schmidt already has to excuse himself in Apple board meetings when the iPhone is talked about. Now he may have to do the same when OS X comes up. That leaves the question of just how much is there left to talk about at the board meetings when both Schmidt and Levinson are in the room?

And that’s exactly what Steve Jobs said today in the quote up top.

But why leave right now? After all, it’s been about a month since the Chrome OS news. Well, Schmidt likely could have hung around for a few more months as Chrome OS is still a ways away, and perhaps that was his and Apple’s plan. But the new FCC inquiry into Google, Apple and AT&T over the Google Voice fiasco undoubtedly applied the pressure to make this move now. That was Friday afternoon, Schmidt resigns Monday morning.

Schmidt leaving now versus a few months from now probably doesn’t have too much of an impact, but you can be sure Apple is pissed off about just how big of a headache this Google Voice thing is. Especially if it really is our friends at AT&T that are the root cause of this particular situation.