Referring to a pie chart at the meeting that gauges threats to Windows, Ballmer said that Windows itself, both licensed and pirated, were the top two threats to in the client OS space, followed by Linux, then Apple. Ballmer quipped: "Windows license, number one market share. Number two market share goes to Windows pirated, or unlicensed. That's a competitor that's tough to beat; they've got a good price and a heck of a product, but we're working on it."

Ballmer followed with a carefully-worded mockery of Apple's "point or more" market share growth over the past year. "A point of market share on a number that's about 300 million [number of PCs shipped worldwide in 2008] is interesting. It's an interesting amount of market share, while not necessarily being as dramatic as people would think."

"Number two market share goes to Windows pirated, or unlicensed. That's a competitor that's tough to beat; they've got a good price and a heck of a product." , Microsoft CEO, quipping about how Microsoft has to compete with itself.

Though Linux's hardly qualifies as a threat, Linux does compete with Microsoft in more areas than Apple and it is much cheaper. "Cheap" takes on an appealing sound in an economic recession.

Clearly, Apple has been hit by the economic downturn in the past two months. It has seen dips in and , and even announced a Wednesday.