The three children of Bill and Melinda Gates may not be allowed to have a product from a certain Cupertino-based rival in their home, but that doesn’t mean Mrs. Gates doesn’t wish for an Apple gadget every once in a while.

Melinda Gates told Vogue in a recent interview that the couple’s three children try to have “as regular a childhood as possible,”, but that doesn’t include Apple’s ubiquitous iPod digital music and video player or its cellular companion, the iPhone, adding that iPods and iPhones are two things they don’t ever get for their kids.

Gates’ husband Bill, of course, founded Microsoft, which sells its own line of digital media players under the Zune brand name. So when it comes to the market-leading iPod, it’s look-but-don’t-touch for the Gates family, including the three children (aged 12, 9, and 6), and even Melinda herself.

But she admits wanting one at times in the interview.

Melinda Gates, who was hired by Microsoft at the age of 22 and worked on products like Encarta, Expedia, and Microsoft Bob, went on to marry the founder of the company. Vogue describes her as possibly the “most ambitious woman on Earth.” They manage a charity organization whose assets exceed $35 billion dollars.