Gartner predicts a slow 2015 for the tablet market, with global sales growing by 8% to 233 million units following a "troubled" 2014, one where growth failed to reach the levels seen in the last 4 years.

"The collapse of the tablet market in 2014 was alarming," the analyst remarks. "In the last 2 years global sales of tablets were growing in double-digits. The steep drop can be explained by several factors. One is that the lifetime of tablets is being extended-- they are shared out amongst family members and software upgrades, especially for iOS devices, keep the tablets current. Another factor includes the lack of innovation in hardware which refrains consumers from upgrading."

According to Gartner the smart wearables of the future are inconspicuous-- the analyst predicts 30% of such devices will be "completely unobtrusive to the eye" by 2017.

"Already, there are some interesting developments at the prototype stage that could pave the way for consumer wearables to blend seamlessly into their surroundings," Gartner says. "Smart contact lenses are one type in development. Another interesting wearable that is emerging is smart jewelry. There are around a dozen crowdfunded projects competing right now in this area, with sensors built into jewelry for communication alerts and emergency alarms."

Meanwhile "obtrusive" wearables currently on the market, such as smart glasses, will take cues from their more subtle peers and evolve into forms disguising their technological nature.

According to IDC global smartphone shipments reach "nearly" 1.3 billion units in 2014, a 26.3% increase over 2013 as the market slows down from "boil a boil to a simmer" while prices drop and markets mature.

As such the analyst predicts growth reductions for the next 4 years, with shipments growing by 12.2% to 1.4bn in 2015 before reaching 1.9bn units in 2018 with a CAGR of 9.8% over the 2014-2018 period.

Revenues face an even starker reality, as "increasingly cutthroat" pricing brings about a CAGR of just 4.2% over the same forecast period.

"The impact of upstart Chinese players in the global market will be reflected in a race to the bottom when it comes to price," IDC says. "While premium phones aren't going anywhere, we are seeing increasingly better specs in more affordable smartphones. Consumers no longer have to go with a top-of-the-line handset to guarantee decent hardware quality or experience."

Forrester Research reports wearable device numbers are to triple in 2015, with the Apple Watch alone attracting around 10 million customers as interest in the device category grows within both consumer and business segments.

"The wearable market will take off as brands, retailers, sports stadiums, healthcare companies, and others develop new business models to take advantage of wearables," the analyst says.

Interestingly the Forrester report also suggests European customers are cooler towards wearables than Americans-- in a poll of 13003 European and 4500 American consumers, just 32% of Europeans see themselves buying a wearable while Americans clock at 45%. As for the devices in question, potential customers are mainly interested in smartwatches and wrist-worn fitness trackers.