Apple shutters Topsy, the social analytics firm it acquired in 2013

Apple is shutting down analytics firm Topsy Labs two years after snapping it up for over $200 million. Unlike Hopscotch, though -- the mass transit directions and guides it bought in 2013 and shuttered in September -- it's not quite clear what Topsy's technology was ever used for. The San Francisco firm created tools that allowed users to search and extract data from Twitter and other social media services. Those include keyword trackers and products that can determine whether a particular topic is being talked about positively or negatively on social media.

Due to the nature of Topsy's work, it's very much possible that Apple used its technology to improve the search function on iOS. As 9to5mac noted, Cupertino introduced "proactive" search with iOS 9 that enables Siri, Calendar and other third-party applications to conjure up more accurate results. Unfortunately, we might never know for sure what Topsy's role at Apple was, as the firm has already said goodbye on Twitter.