Vapourware and the agency of ideas

‘Vapourware’—computer hardware which is promoted as forthcoming but which is never manufactured—has received little attention in Design History, although it is important. Vapourware often has a direct influence on the future development of computing technology—causing competitors to reconsider, alter or even stop their planned activities. This paper shows that often, product concepts themselves influence market expectations or desires for future technological developments. Proof, in fact, of the agency of ideas. Keywords: Vapourware / Computer history / Product Design / Product concepts