Geek? What geek? There's no such thing anymore.

A recent survey by Superbrands found that the coolest brand in the UK at the moment is the Aston Martin. More engineering than technology, you might think, and you'd be right, but scanning down the list of the top 20, a heavy emphasis on technology emerges. Here's the list: 1. Aston Martin, 2. iPod, 3. YouTube, 4. Bang and Olufsen, 5. Google, 6. Playstation, 7. Apple, 8. Agent Provocateur, 9. Nintendo, 10. Virgn Atlantic, 11. Ferrari, 12. Ducati, 13. eBay, 14. Rolex, 15. Tate Modern, 16. Prada, 17. Lamborghini, 18. Green & Blacks, 19. iTunes, 20. Amazon.

That's one MP3 player, a video-sharing website, a computer manufacturer, a music store, a luxury audio manfacturer, a search engine, a games console, a watchmaker, a games console manufacturer, an auction website and an online shopping store vs just two fashion brands - one of which recently became cool because of its association with a mobile phone. Are we really now more worried about what we carry than what we wear? And if so, doesn't that mean there's no such thing as a geek now?

At the recent iPod launch it had never been clearer that looks, looks, looks is what it's all about, with the revamped appearance and interface of even the iPod classic, which is arguably the least changed in the range (other than the Shuffle), getting almost as much attention as its iPhone-lite new brother. Apple is particularly good at infiltrating the lifestyle market, as is evidenced by its three appearances in the top twenty - even if we HAD the Zune over here, would it be in the list? At IFA this year, LG was all about "Design Art" because that's what we're buying, loving and talking about.

The only thing even slightly impinging on the massive techie takeover is a handful of luxury, top-end car brands. But I would argue even this shows our obsession with design coupled with high-spec engineering. And of course the difference between an iPod and a DB9 is that even those among us on just-comfortable salaries have a hope in hell of getting our hands on one.

And look at the number of everyday brands. eBay is cool? Really? Last time I looked the primary colour design looked like it had only just escaped from the clutches of Comic Sans but it is nonetheless a huge brand that people trust and use daily. So for something to be really cool, it has to offer not just sexy looks but also universal functionality and appeal.

So, finally, it's official. Geeks are cool. But... wait, we knew that, right? After all, if you're here you've got to be just a little bit geeky already. But doesn't being so widely accepted as cool automatically mean that you stop being geeky and start just being common?

I'm not trying to offend anyone here. There's a phenomenal amount of geekery behind Google, for example. But do we really think of Google as a geeky brand? Geeks used to be like the old-school pictures of Bill Gates reclining, sweater-clad, on some lumpen computer from the dark ages, lurching sleepily over his creation. If you didn't know who Steve Jobs was and you passed him on the street, would you think that he never saw daylight? Even back in the 70s he just wanted to look good for the camera.

For every Harry Knowles (they don't have to be technology geeks), with his weirdy beardy chic, there's a Jason Calacanis, fresh-faced and personable with every sign of getting his full quota of Vitamin D. Even Kevin Rose is just a bit scruffy. But once you get that, surely you just have to drop the word "geek" altogether? After all, it doesn't mean anything anymore anyway, now that the negative, living-in-his-own-parallel-universe connotations - note the "his" - are dead.

I'd say I was proud to be a bit of a geek, except they just don't really exist anymore. As should have been the case all along, we're all respecting clever research and demanding good functionality, good looks and a touch of exclusive elegance that gives us that extra buzz as we play with our toys (sex aid pun possibly intended).

Alex Roumbas is Deputy Editor of Shiny Shiny. She is playing with a new iPod and yes, goddamnit, it's cool.