According to our Wearable Device Ecosystems (WDE) service, the recent hire of Angela Ahrendts from Burberry was a strong pointer to Apple's future.

Angela Ahrendts is being hired initially as the head of Apple's retail distribution. There is speculation she is being lined up as a future CEO to take on Tim Cook's role long-term.

Why would Apple, a tech company, hire a clothing executive from the luxury clothing industry?

Simple answer -- Apple is planning a wearables future. A portfolio of luxury wearables.

Mobile technology and clothing will converge over the next decade. Apple is looking beyond PCs, tablets and smartphones to the next wave of growth in smartwatches, smartglasses and smartclothes.

This is a clever move by Apple. We forecast the global wearables market to expand eightfold during the next five years. Few, if any, other major tech segments come close to that level of future growth.