According to Bloomberg, sources have said that the technology giant paid more than $200m for the firm.

Topsy allows users to analyse any topic, term or hashtag across all tweets published since 2006. It provides real-time access to tweets and can use metrics to model current trends against competitors and past events.

According to the Wall Street Journal, an Apple spokesperson confirmed the deal but declined to comment further. “Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans,” she said.