Between more machines powered by M1 chips, a new push into premium podcasts and a Tile competitor, Apple’s product unveiling this morning was emblematic of how many new markets the tech giant has pushed into just over the last year.

With the M1 — a system-on-a-chip designed by Apple — now in laptops, tablets and desktop computers of various size, Apple has almost completely divorced itself from Intel and set a path forward where all its machines can be as close knit as the iPhone and iPad have been.

But it’s in software and services where Apple’s moves are arguably causing more disruption, as the company seems to have systematically taken note of categories or apps flourishing most on its smartphone ecosystem and decided to leverage its ownership of the same to compete.

Since Apple Music was launched in 2015, the iPhone-maker has created its own services for curated news, TV and movies, video games and fitness regimes, prompting rebukes from competitors like Spotify and Microsoft which say Apple enjoys advantages it doesn’t extend to others on its platforms. Similar accusations are no doubt on the way regarding Apple’s latest products.

Tile, the company that makes wireless tags you can track with your phone, already filed a complaint against Apple a year ago. It claimed changes to the way iPhone’s Bluetooth connectivity worked made it harder for people to use its products but did not affect Apple’s own Find My ecoystem.

Recently Apple opened up Find My to other developers so anything from earbuds to scooters could be located on Apple devices — provided the developers are certified by Apple — and this morning’s introduction of AirTags represents a direct alternative to Tile. Because Apple is now making the chips and the software of its device, it’s easy to see how a Bluetooth tracker it also makes or certifies is likely to work much more seamlessly on those devices.

Meanwhile on the podcast front, Apple has introduced a way for creators to offer bonus, early or ad-free episodes for subscribers willing to pay, intercepting Spotify as it initiates plans to roll out a similar premium model.

The new program requires podcasters to pay Apple $30 per year in order to offer premium content, and the tech giant also takes 30 per cent of each subscriber’s money. If the subscriber keeps their membership for a year and continues on an auto-renewing subscription, the fee drops to 15 per cent. This means podcasters can earn more money if they can convince fans to keep paying for more than a year.