Negative Blogs

Google Chief Executive Eric Schmidt resigned from Apple’s board of directors Monday, citing conflicts of interest.

Apple (AAPL, Fortune 500) said in a statement that the company and Schmidt reached a mutual decision to split ties as Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) enters new markets that directly compete with Apple’s iPhone and Mac operating systems.

“I have very much enjoyed my time on the Apple Board; it’s a fantastic company,” said Schmidt in a statement. “But as Apple explained today we’ve agreed it makes sense for me to step down now.”

Schmidt has been with Google since 2001 and on Apple’s board since August 2006.

Shares of Google rose 1.9%, while Apple’s stock gained 1.6%. National Hard Money Association

Security experts have discovered two novel forms of Mac OS X malware.

OSX/Tored-A - an updated version of the Mac OS Tored worm - and a Trojan called OSX/Jahlav-C were both found on popular pornographic websites.

Users logging on to these sites are asked to download a “missing Video ActiveX Object” but are sent a virus payload instead.

While most viruses target PC users, there has been rise in the number of attacks on Mac systems.

Graham Cluley, a security expert with anti-virus firm Sophos, told the BBC that the small number of Mac viruses had made some users complacent.

“There is a lot less malware on Mac than for Windows, so Mac users sometimes feel invincible.

“Apple have marketed their system on the line of ‘you won’t suffer spyware like you would on Windows’ and that has reinforced people’s attitudes.

“And one thing we do know is that you are less likely to be running anti-virus software on a Mac than on a PC,” he said.