UnderCurrent’s first ever MP3 player was a Creative Zen. It was purchased at the Dick Smith store in Garema Place in Canberra. It had entered the store wanting to buy an iPod but left with a Zen after some impressive salesmanship. This was back in 2004, when MP3 players were first starting to reach critical mass, and Ed Sheeran was only 13 years old.

Fast forward to 2014 and Ed is duetting with Tom Jones at the AFL Grand Final in front of almost 100,000 fans at the MCG and another 4 million in homes around the country.

This trip to Australia for Melbourne’s Big Dance was just a stopover on this unlikely pop star’s world jaunt to promote his new album x (pronounced ‘multiply’) and to big up his major retail partner, Apple. And promoting Apple isn’t just about iTunes sales for his redheaded, redarmed and, after 15 minutes in under the Melbourne sun, no doubt red faced performer: he also likes taking a dig at the old and old fashioned:

Unfortunately for Creative’s hard-at-work and definitely still here in Australia team, Ed has a quite sizable 10,564,705 followers on that particular social media/outrage generator.

Meanwhile, UnderCurrent would like to wish a hearty and warm congratulations to Paul Widdis, he of TCL management fame, and arguably the industry’s biggest Hawthorn Hawks hawker. The frosties must be tasting especially frosty this week at Glenferrie Oval…