Final answer:
Vaporware is a technology product that has been announced but is not available for purchase and sometimes never comes to fruition. It is distinct from planned obsolescence, which is the intentional design of products to have a limited lifespan. Vaporware reflects the rapid evolution of technology and how companies strategize within the tech industry.
Step-by-step explanation:
Vaporware refers to a technology product that has been announced to the public, but is not actually available for purchase, and in some cases, may never become available. This term is often associated with products that have been over-hyped, leading to disappointment when the product fails to materialize. Although one might think of vaporware as a modern phenomenon, it reflects a broader trend of how technology is rapidly evolving and how companies may sometimes prematurely announce products to create buzz or misdirect competitors.
One key aspect of the technology industry is planned obsolescence, which is when companies design a product with an intentionally limited useful life. Over time, as with the transition from bulky 1970s computers to today's sleek devices, technology evolves rendering older versions obsolete. This natural progression of technology is different from vaporware, as vaporware doesn't result from obsolescence but rather from non-existence.