Thanks to Gadgetry, the Perennial Nightmare of What to Buy Men is Now a Thing of Christmas Past

By Bobbie Johnson

What do you get the man who has everything? A newer version of everything, apparently. With the indulgent season of gift-giving approaching fast, trouble looms around the nation.

Much of the time, those devoid of enthusiasm rely on the familiar sweep of toiletries, sweets and other stocking fillers. Fathers, brothers, uncles and sons will know full well that many of their Christmas "surprises" are likely to be socks - the de facto gift for men of a certain age. But times change, and so do stereotypes. For a new breed of men, socks are being kicked out from under the tree in favor of a new, shinier solution to the Christmas conundrum. Arise, gadget man.

Becoming a member of this tribe is easier than you might think - with seemingly ordinary behavior such as programming the video recorder, or ownership of a computer. For tortured gift-givers, even the most innocuous action can be a handy indicator of present potential. Once you have attained geek status, the label can be difficult to shake, because everybody has a vested interest in keeping you that way. Suddenly every relative, friend or acquaintance who had previously scrabbled for ideas is presented with a plethora of solutions. Technology provides the lazy with a simple way out.

But easy answers come at a price; and it’s becoming an increasingly hefty one. These days we’re not just talking widgets for opening a wine bottle. No, the conspicuous technological consumption of the 21st century demands that we fix our eyes on a pricier range of goods. Step into any high street and you are presented with a gluttonous spread of mobile phones, computers, palmtops, laptops, DVD recorders, video-games consoles and all manner of MP3 players.

And we’re preparing new generations for the same thing. A survey last week suggested that parents spent £223 on presents for their sons, but just £127 on their daughters. Why? Because expensive boys’ toys - proto-appliances with names like Roboraptor, Robosapien and Cybershocker - are a prelude to their owners’ future life as gadget men.

As if to mark this seismic shift, this year the buzz round technology has been cranked up a notch or two. Technology is now presented as a must-have, not a luxury: you’re nothing if you haven’t got a PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360 or iPod nano lying about the house.

Magazines and newspapers are adorned with high-value technological trinkets. Price often matters more than performance; last week, the lower-priced iPod shuffle, still less than a year old, was declared a "chav gadget" - it’s not deemed expensive enough.

The lustrous presentation and gawp-worthy price tags usually bring to mind a fashion spread. But everyone knows the beautiful clothes draped over beautiful models are inspirational. Readers see a designer dress they like but buy a version within their price bracket. For gadget man and his friends, though, life is more difficult: buying Topshop knockoffs of haute couture technology is simply not an option. Even the bargain-basement widgets set you back a bundle.

For many, Christmas morning will follow the same routine. After gratefully opening his gifts, the gadget-laden gentleman takes the tools of the contemporary hunter-gatherer (a handful of cables and a barely read instruction booklet) and heads off for some quality time alone with his technology. It’s the digital equivalent of wandering down to the potting shed, and it’s made even worse because someone has forked out £200 for the privilege.

Me? I’d rather have a pair of socks.

• Bobbie Johnson is the Guardian’s technology correspondent