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Following Apple's $200 million purchase of social analytics firm Topsy earlier this week, a wide variety of analysts and pundits have been considering what Apple might do with the company.

More than anything, Topsy is a search and analytics company, holding a number of search-related patents that could be implemented directly into the App or iTunes Stores to improve searches and discovery. One patent helps rank search results based on reputation and influence, which could be used to help higher quality apps rise to the top of App Store search results, for example.

Another patent details the return of search results to include popular items related to a specific query on a social media site. While not directly related, a similar technology could be incorporated into App Store search. For example, a user searching for Major League Baseball apps could be linked to other trending sports apps for the NFL or NBA.

Twitter considered buying Topsy as well because, according to AllThingsD, "Topsy's search technology and tools were even more effective than Twitter's own in-house search tools" but Twitter ultimately decided to pass on the purchase.

Apple has purchased companies in the past to boost its search results on the App Store, most notably Chomp, acquired by the company last year.

Apple has also been focusing on increasing its advertising revenue in recent years, first with iAd's in-app advertising, and more recently with iTunes Radio. Another Topsy patent relates to the display of certain advertisements to users based on an "influence score" that helps determine which advertisements are shown to a particular user.

As for what Apple will do with Topsy, TechCrunch's Matthew Panzarino is thinking along these same lines.
If I had to hazard a guess, this might be related to Apple building out the relevancy engine of its App and iTunes Stores. Adding social signals to the search algorithms of its stores could help to improve the relevance of search results and help Apple surface apps that are hotter and more interesting to users. Tracking app trends across social networks would allow them to fine tune categories and collections of apps, and surface apps that are gaining steam more quickly.

Pulling the thread out a bit further, it's possible that Apple could even use the data from your Twitter feeds to recommend apps on a more personal basis, rather than 'generically' to everyone. Apple has done little of this kind of personalized recommendation work to this point, but there's always a first time for everything.
The Wall Street Journal concurs, saying that "Topsy's insights could be useful in several Apple services, including the iTunes media store, Siri voice assistant or iAd advertising platform."

Another pundit, Azeem Azhar, argued on LinkedIn that Topsy's search platform could be part of the foundation for an Apple move against Google in search. The company already built a mapping app, displacing Google Maps in one of the iPhone's most fundamental features -- and an investment in search could be a logical place to spend some of Apple's enormous cash pile.
Wouldn't it be smart for Apple to deploy Topsy's search infrastructure as the search layer for iOS? Working to index both the social Web, but also the best bits of the Web that power Siri and Apple Maps, reduce the reliance on Google and reduce the flow of advertising dollars to the big G.

[...]

These are additional signals that could make the experience of search on iOS really different to the experience on Google. A search which encapsulates data on the web, databases of businesses, real, fresh social signals and purchase preference data from 900m consumers. All accessible from my iOS device, connected back to my Apple ID (and the credit card attached to it).
Topsy has full access to the Twitter 'firehose', meaning its technology can be used to deal with enormous amounts of data and its search engine technology is designed specifically for that. It's possible that Topsy's search engine could be used by Apple for more than just search, however. The company could combine iCloud, App Store purchase data, reviews, social network activity and more to get a better idea of their customer's activity for both advertising and search purposes.

While the purchase of Topsy is notable, the $200 million acquisition accounts for some 1/750th of Apple's current $150 billion in cash and will likely be the one of many acquisitions that Apple makes during fiscal 2014.

Last year, in fiscal 2013, Apple made a total of 15 acquisitions of varying sizes over the course of the year. In its public financial calls with analysts, Apple executives have repeatedly said that a number of new hardware, software and services products are in its pipeline for release in calendar 2014 and beyond.

Article Link: Search and Social: How Apple Might Utilize Its $200 Million Topsy Purchase
 
They keep buying companies to improve the App Store and iTunes, yet both are still s***.
 
I always get a little shiver when Apple does cool Computer Science-y stuff...

GCD, Timer Coalescing, Co-Processors, real asymmetric finger print security...all awesome stuff.

Chances are, they're going to do something cool with it, and we won't even notice it happening.
 
I always get a little shiver when Apple does cool Computer Science-y stuff...

GCD, Timer Coalescing, Co-Processors, real asymmetric finger print security...all awesome stuff.

Chances are, they're going to do something cool with it, and we won't even notice it happening.

I just want the option of being able to turn off anything that would skew the results of my search based on some marketing indicators based on my shopping or surfing activities.
 
What are the chances that Apples eventually buys Twitter? I mean someone is going to buy Twitter sooner or later. I think it would be a great move for Apple to make, they would get more involved into the social media while also delivering a blow to Google. Eventually all these small tech companies are going to be bought or put out of business by Apple or Google.
 
Topsy is an interesting company. I sure hope they don't shut it down as they did with LaLa and some others. The wealth of information you can drill out of it is very impressive. My company has used Topsy for a few projects and its been a helpful tool.

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What are the chances that Apples eventually buys Twitter? I mean someone is going to buy Twitter sooner or later. I think it would be a great move for Apple to make, they would get more involved into the social media while also delivering a blow to Google. Eventually all these small tech companies are going to be bought or put out of business by Apple or Google.

I've thought about that a few different times. Aside from the swipe at Google, I don't know how it would really fit into Apple's overall scheme of things. With "Software and Other Services" being such a small %% of Apple's overall income, Twitter wouldn't really move the needle over there much, even if their ad sales continue on the growth clip they've been on. It would be a strategic move of sorts, though, and I suppose as long as its not a giant cash DRAIN, Apple could get some benefit out of it. I dunno.

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They keep buying companies to improve the App Store and iTunes, yet both are still s***.

How are they ****?
 
It's about TV.

You have that line on speed-post? lol

…..Another pundit, Azeem Azhar, argued on LinkedIn that Topsy's search platform could be part of the foundation for an Apple move against Google in search. The company already built a mapping app, displacing Google Maps in one of the iPhone's most fundamental features -- and an investment in search could be a logical place to spend some of Apple's enormous cash pile.
Topsy has full access to the Twitter 'firehose', meaning its technology can be used to deal with enormous amounts of data and its search engine technology is designed specifically for that. It's possible that Topsy's search engine could be used by Apple for more than just search, however. The company could combine iCloud, App Store purchase data, reviews, social network activity and more to get a better idea of their customer's activity for both advertising and search purposes.

Article Link: Search and Social: How Apple Might Utilize Its $200 Million Topsy Purchase

I'm thinking along the same lines, and have posted my thoughts about this before.

https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=16050978#post16050978
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=16184961&posted=1#post16184961
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=16483133&posted=1#post16483133
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=16482688&posted=1#post16482688
 
Intelligence......

can be gathered via a searching/seeking method or via and effective data mining. In that particular, Apple strenghtening of curren capabilities can be seen as an asset, like as the information per se. Myriad of applications can come to materialize with an improved and better understanding of all the info flowing in a channel (ie the Web or Twitter). Comes to my mind the capability of tailor services and products based in demographics or trends enough strong to stay a long time. What about Apple detecting info about some future need, in enough time in advance to develop a really ggod product that caters that need? Imagine Apple seeing millions of tweets asking for a 128 or even a 256 GB iPhone......:D.....:eek:


:):apple:
 
How to improve search? Oh, I have a good one. When I press a key in iTunes, it should take me to a song starting with that character like it does in Finder, not do random stuff like switching to the stupid album view.

Also, the search in iPhone Mail should actually do something, not pretend that it's doing something.

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How are they ****?

Horribly laid-out, hard to discover new stuff, and laggy. I really miss the iOS 5's App Store now.

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I just want the option of being able to turn off anything that would skew the results of my search based on some marketing indicators based on my shopping or surfing activities.

That awkward moment when it suggests really weird stuff for no reason, and your friends ask you what you've been doing. That's why I want my YouTube suggestions turned off. "Oh you watched one video about a video game? Lemme plaster Top Ten XXX Video Games on your homepage, which has a naked girl as the thumbnail."
 
Search and Social: How Apple Might Utilize Its $200 Million Topsy Purchase

Huh? Wow I missed the memo that must have stated, "we will now utilize utilize rather than utilize use".

Using utilize sounds very pompous.
 
A Ping replacement ... how fun..

Did i get all this wrong... Apple does do recommendations on what other people bought... Maybe this is not "popular apps" ? Something "Topsy' is designed to do ?
 
Way better metadata would help.

Including correct and complete cast info even to TV show episode level. Guest performers in tracks. Clean up crap like every show from masterpiece appearing smashed up like it is the same show.

Heck they clean up the data they could bring back Ping. Only open it to music, actors, writers, directors. Bio page creating a 'collection of everything they have worked on that is in the store, allow alerts for new items added. Perhaps put back in the twitter thing, Facebook, Instagram etc. Even if just links to and not actual content on the page.

Allow folks to follow other users and see their reviews, playlists, wishlist, radio stations etc as decided by what user wants to share. Even allow them to include links to their social stuff.

They would have to use a different name or folks will bash it before it even launches but they could have something way more useful than the store or Ping or Lala.

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A Ping replacement ... how fun..

Did i get all this wrong... Apple does do recommendations on what other people bought... Maybe this is not "popular apps" ? Something "Topsy' is designed to do ?

Those recommendations rather suck. Anything to improve them is good.
 
Web search engine

It would make sense for Apple to offer its own search engine as an alternative to Google & MS/Yahoo.

Why not?

I recently tried to de-Google (switch from Chrome back to Safari, etc).
However for search I gave up after a week with MS/Y! it was that bad.
So if the #2 search engine is poor why not displace #2 from it's spot?

Apple has all the same pieces on the game board as the other 2 (Google/MS) =except= search.

Apple kicked out Google Maps in favour of Apple Maps (which was crap and embarrassing to start with but good enough now). I had a feeling Search would be next.
 
both generate tons of money.

hardly the definition if something is **** or not

What are the chances that Apples eventually buys Twitter? I mean someone is going to buy Twitter sooner or later. I think it would be a great move for Apple to make, they would get more involved into the social media while also delivering a blow to Google. Eventually all these small tech companies are going to be bought or put out of business by Apple or Google.

thats a pretty bleak view of the future (not that i disagree)
 
Apple need them for maps!

Seriously if you mistype anything even slightly to how apple holds the info it won't find it. They need to use close results and better location matching.

I can't see apple replacing google search in the iphone right now but it might be the aim.

Long term it we are seeing apple turn into google as time goes by I would not be surprised to see them move more into the search engine market like google and offer iAd on non ios devices.
 
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