The announcement of the appointment led to heavy praise between Schmidt and Steve Jobs, his counterpart at .
Jobs said that Schmidt was doing a "terrific" job at , while Schmidt said that Apple was one of the companies he most admired.
"I'm really looking forward to working with Steve and Apple's board to help with all of the amazing things Apple is doing," Schmidt said.
Along with a mutual admiration, what both companies have in common is a rivalry with Microsoft.
Apple competes against Microsoft's Windows operating system and is soon to face a threat to its ubiquitous iPod when Microsoft launches Zune later this year. Google fights Microsoft's for share of the search market and advertising revenues.
Naturally, the appointment of Schmidt to Apple's board has led to speculation that the companies will join closer together to take on the might of Microsoft.
Schmidt joined Google from Novell, where he was chairman and chief executive. Apple said the reason for his appointment to the board was his experience in the internet, as an entrepreneur and working in technology, and his role as chief technology officer for Sun Microsystems.
Jobs said: "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."
Google is forging partnerships with some of the leading lights in the online world, announcing deals with and over the past month and also buying a 5% share in AOL.
Google and Apple are listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange in New York.
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