Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer appeared to have added more fire to the an already flaming rivalry between the difference of Mac and a PC.

Speaking at the Media Summit 2009 conference in New York on Thursday, Steve Ballmer was asked about the momentum Apple has experienced in the desktop and notebook computer market.

Apple gained about one point, but now I think the tide has really turned back the other direction, Ballmer said, according to TechFlash. Ballmer was referring to the fact that Mac sales dropped 16 percent in February, according to stats from market-researcher NPD Group.

The economy is helpful. Paying an extra $500 for a computer in this environment -- same piece of hardware -- paying $500 more to get a logo on it? I think that's a more challenging proposition for the average person than it used to be.

The interviewer, BusinessWeek editor-in-chief Stephen Adler, followed up by asking if Ballmer owned any Apple products himself. Perhaps a secret iPod?

No, none. I don't, my sons don't, my wife doesn't, Ballmer responded, as the crowd laughed.

You're talking to a guy, though, whose dad worked for Ford, and once Ford sold Land Rover and Jaguar, we're selling the cars to get Fords, so you may have a weird outlier in me.

Steve Ballmer Electronics Apple inc. Ipod