Yes, this is a dumb one, but how should it look? Sharply pointed, rounded off, flat? What about elliptical vs conical? I know how those shapes look, but How does it figure into the needle's shape?
You need a microscope to see anything there. My 60 mag stereo scope is barely strong enough. Conical is just that. Eliptical refers to the shape of the sections that contact the record groove. You can see the shape (spherical or sections of elipse) when looking point on. Any deviation from that shape within the section is the result of wear. There's a write-up with illustrations on the web, but I forget the name of the site. Maybe a thread search here at AK will reveal a pointer to it. I haven't mentioned micro-linear because I'm not sure what the section looks like.