FORTUNE -- Computers one wears, rather than carries in a briefcase, backpack or pocket, are at an "inflection point" -- a market poised to explode from $3 billion to $5 billion today to as much as $30 billion to $50 billion in three to five years.
That's according to a Credit Suisse report snagged Friday by Barron's Tiernan Ray.
The theory is that smartphones are going to be the hub connecting a proliferation of small, wireless devices that will become increasingly popular as software improves, component prices fall and new business uses emerge.
"Bottom line," writes Ray, "the authors think wearables are 'a mega trend' and that 'your clients need to care' because the gizmos may have 'a significant and pervasive impact on the economy,' change how we all interact with technology, and may 'advance [the] Big Data paradigm.'"
Apple (AAPL) is likely to be one of the big winners in the new market, according to the report, along with Broadcom (BRCM), eBay (EBAY), Google (GOOG), Microchip (MCHP), NXP Semiconductor (NXPI) and, among retail stocks, Nike (NKE), Under Armour (AU) and Alliance Data Systems (ADS).
It looks like Microsoft may jump into wearable computing. If and when its device hits retail, here's what we'd want it to have.
JP Mangalindan, Writer - Apr 16, 2013 10:50 AM ET
Is the rumored device real or imaginary? No clue. But if the Apple iWatch is real, here's what we want it to have.
FORTUNE -- Given all the buzz, you'd think an iWatch from Apple would be a case of "when" rather than "if." In theory, such a device could push computing forward. Users could check messages and get alerts and directions without having to whip out their iPhones. (And Dick MORE
JP Mangalindan, Writer - Feb 26, 2013 7:16 PM ET