Apple has acquired Pop Up Archive, a startup that with tech that makes podcasts even searchable, reports NiemanLab. Its online platform is focused on building tools to transcribe, organize, and search audio files.
Writing for NiemanLab, Nicholas Quah says this means Apple has acquired a technology dedicated to increasing the knowability and sortability of the hundreds of thousands of shows distributed through its Apple Podcast platform. This has widespread implications for the ecosystem.
“Apple is believed to still drive somewhere between 50 to 70 percent of all available podcasts downloads, depending on who’s measuring — it’s near impossible to quantify this with any precision — and it’s further worth noting that this news comes months after Apple’s original announcement of in-episode analytics, which was scheduled to roll out around this end point of the year following the introduction of iOS 11 in September,” he adds.
Apple’s purchase of Pop Up Archive apparently came last month. The company’s website says it shut down operations and ended support on Nov. 28, 2017.
“Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time,” Apple told Nieman Lab. “We generally do not discuss our purpose or plans.”
