Apple Computer Inc. announced that Google Inc. CEO Eric Schmidt has been named to its board of directors.

Schmidt is now Apple's eighth board director, and his move signifies an important link between to high-profile technology companies.

"The timing of this appointment is certainly interesting in terms of corporate governance. Being able to attract a guy like Eric Schmidt certainly has to be viewed as a positive," American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu told the Associated Press.

Analyst interpret the linking of Apple and Google as a way for both companies to team up and fight shared competitor Microsoft Corp.

Cross promotion of Apple and Google products is speculated, but as of now no plans have been announced.