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Apple will take the spotlight when it formally introduces Apple Watch, but don’t overlook the behind-the-scenes tech companies in the nascent wearable technology industry.
Google’s (NASDAQ: GOOGL) Google Glasses have been a flop.
Turns out, no one wants to wear cyborg-looking glasses. But what does this mean for the broader wearable technology market?
One area that has emerged as fairly hot is wrist wearables. And it’s about to get a lot hotter.
The tech market is abuzz about the Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) “Spring Forward”event next Monday, which is widely expected to be the official launch of the Apple Watch.
Granted, the market is already fairly crowded with wrist-related wearables, but astute investors should know that you never count Apple out.
I think this could be pivotal moment for the wearables industry.
Time and time again, Apple has changed how we interact with and use technology. Going back decades, Apple has played pivotal roles in nearly every tech product market, including PCs, music, mobile phones, tablets and now mobile payments. Eventually it will play that role with cars.
Apple excels in making products mainstream. It didn’t invent the smartphone or even the tablet, but it did perfect it with the iPhone and iPad.
To bet against Apple in wearables would be a losing proposition.
Once the Apple Watch ships, it’ll be a free-for-all in the tech space when it comes to wearables. Apple is the most-talked-about company in the space, in part, because it is customer-facing.
However, some other behind-the-scenes players will capitalize on Apple’s ability to make wearables “cool.”Watches are just the beginning; the potential for wearables is boundless.
Here are three companies that will profit from the impending boom in wearable technology:
No. 1 Way to Play Wearables: Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM)
Qualcomm is one of the biggest chip makers in the world and one of the biggest supporters of wearables. Pankaj Kedia runs the tech giant’s wearables business and has said,“This trend is not going away,” speaking about wearables.
Qualcomm is a major player in the semiconductor space for mobile phones. But it believes in being on the ground floor of new products. It was involved with GoPro (NASDAQ: GPRO) before the camera company was a household name.
Qualcomm shares have been pressured of late due to issues in China and losing the chip business for the Samsung S6. The stock is down 5% over the last six month and now trading at a price-to-earnings ratio of 15, which is one of the lowest levels we’ve seen in the last decade.
However, Qualcomm still has plenty of growth opportunities when it comes to taking part in the growth of 4G handsets in emerging markets. Then, of course, there’s still the rapidly growing wearables market.
No. 2 Way to Play Wearables: ARM Holdings (NASDAQ: ARMH)
ARM is another chipmaker, so naturally it will be a part of the wearables boom, especially considering ARM’s expertise, which is low-power, high-performance chips. The other beauty of ARM is that its chips will power the Apple Watch.
And like Qualcomm, ARM will benefit by the continued adoption of smartphones. But ARM is also focused on the “Internet of Things,” which goes beyond just the wearables market to connecting all your devices.
No. 3 Way to Play Wearables: Intel (NASDAQ: INTC)
Intel has been one of the feel-good stories in tech over the last year. Intel’s stock was stuck below $30 a share for over a decade, but this $160 million market cap tech giant finally broke out. Its stock is now up over 40% for the last 12 months. And let us not forget its 2.8% dividend yield, too.
Intel is the largest semiconductor company in the world. It has a massive research and development budget. But it dominates a less-than-sexy business these days, the PC chip market. However, Intel has already debuted its first wearable computing system that can be used in wearables and smart clothing—so it’s making steps in the right direction.
There are a number of ways to play the wearables segment. It’s not just the companies like Apple, Google and Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) that will benefit from the rise of this technology. Companies that supply technology behind wearables will also benefit, and they might be getting overlooked right now.
How to Profit from Apple’s Next Product Launch
On Monday, March 9th, Apple CEO Tim Cook is finally going to unveil the Apple Watch to the world. No doubt it will catapult Apple even higher — as did the iPod, iPhone and iPad before it. But what most investors don’t realize is that there’s a much smaller company set to soar even higher because of the Apple Watch. And Apple would prefer you didn’t even know it exists! Sounds incredible, but that’s a measure of just how crucial the company is to the tech giant. And it’s all the more reason why you should be in it, too. But you must hurry: Once March 9th arrives, your chance to profit from one of the easiest no-brainers of the year will be gone. Find out why right here.