4. RIM's BlackBerry 10 delay

4. RIM's BlackBerry 10 delay

Oh, RIM, you're killing us. We hoped you could get back on track this year, we really did. But we got tired of hiding our BlackBerrys in public, lest we be labeled old farts. Still, we believed in your tactile keyboards and said great apps really weren't that important. What really mattered was a phone and e-mail and security and, oh, who the hell are we kidding?

We gave up on you when you -- yet again -- delayed BlackBerry 10. Now it's due in January. You know, right after the Christmas season -- that way it won't be a gift option (and what gadget fan doesn't want a BlackBerry under the Christmas tree?). We gave up on you when our security-conscious IT administrators gave up on you and started welcoming iPhones and Android phones into the network. And when government agencies even started talking about switching off BlackBerry, we decided enough was enough.

We wish you well with the next release, we really do. But it's too late for most of us. We've made the switch. We're locked into contracts. We've moved on. Good luck.