Apple shuts down Topsy two years after its acquisition
17 Dec 2015
Two years following its acquisition of social analytics firm Topsy for over $200 million, Apple has shut it down.
The news was confirmed by Topsy in a tweet o Tuesday.
Users are now redirected to Apple's mobile search support page.
Topsy analysed Twitter and provided insights on tweets, users and events, which it resold to customers.
The San Francisco-based company held huge amount of Twitter data; it indexed the site's of public tweets in entirety - dating back to 2006 - as it looked sought to make it easier for users to search through the archives.
According to The Mac Observer, Topsy's final client contracts likely expired, allowing it to close its doors and move on to Apple-focused projects. According to commentators, Topsy's analytics might come in handy for services like the iTunes media store, Siri, or iAd advertising platform.
As 9to5 Mac pointed out, the introduction of iOS 9 came with a new "Proactive" search that tapped Siri, Contacts, Calendar, Passbook, and third-party apps for a deeper search experience.
Apple acquired Topsy in December 2013 for over $200 million, a purchase not expected from a hardware-focused company that had made few forays into social networking.
Twitter user Adrian Parker (@adrianparker) tweeted: "Heartbreak. Topsy was my secret Twitter weapon (Tweapon?)"
Former Topsy employees also took to social media to express their sadness.
"RIP (rest in peace) Topsy" Rishab Aiyer Ghosh, one of the four founders of the company, tweeted Tuesday night.
Topsy employee Paul Gerard Porter (@paul_g_porter) tweeted, "What an incredible run we had - I thoroughly enjoyed being part of the Topsy team #endofanera."
Before the acquisition of Topsy, Apple's social media efforts had been limited to Ping, a music-centred social sharing network that was later integrated into the company's iTunes app. The service, which allowed users to post music tracks they liked to a news feed failed to click and was shut down.
