Bill and Melinda Gates

The children of Bill and Melinda Gates will have to go through their early years without an iPhone -- or an iPod for that matter. According to a profile in Vogue, Melinda Gates said they don't allow their three children to use the ubiquitous mobile computing devices. The story did not mention whether the kids have Zunes.

“There are very few things that are on the banned list in our household,” Melinda Gates tells Vogue. “But iPods and iPhones are two things we don’t get for our kids.”

The story continues:

Harsh, perhaps, but understandable. After all, it’s hard to walk around tethered to merchandise made by your father’s most famous competitor. Still, Gates acknowledges the inevitable lure of forbidden fruit. “Every now and then I look at my friends and say, ‘Ooh, I wouldn’t mind having that iPhone.’”

The story lit up the blogosphere with some wonderful headlines, inluding this one from The Register: Bill Gates bans progeny from iPhone Nation. And this one from CNET: Melinda Gates admits to having iPhone envy.

Beyond that nugget of information, the profile is actually quite interesting discussing the role of the foundation, how the couple spend their vacation time and some stories from a family member about when Bill started dating Melinda.

But what about those kids? Are they better off without the iPhone? The Register says Bill and Melinda need to lighten up.

But one can imagine that the Fords don't drive Hondas and the Hiltons don't stay at the Sheraton. And speaking of the kids of wealthy families, Paris Hilton actually gets a mention in the Vogue piece, although not in a flattering manner.

Melinda's brother Raymond French says the Gates' kids are enjoying a relatively normal childhood.

“They go to parks, have playdates and sleep-overs. Melinda is fierce about this. There will be no bubble for them; these children will not turn out to be Paris Hilton,” he said.