Tonight a feeling of guilt swept over me. A year back, I'd bought Blackberry shares at $7 and then sold them when they had doubled to $14. I've been a Blackberry user since I switched from a dumb phone: so long ago that I can't remember the precise year. I was really looking forward to the Q10. But when I was sent one for evaluation it was 'OK' but nothing really made me want to buy one. I kept my old Bold instead and upgraded my iPad to cellular. The combination works a treat for Holway on the road. And when I do upgrade, it will now be to an iPhone.
According to reports tonight, I was not alone. Blackberry have just issued the mother of all profits warnings. Well, an unexpected $1b loss is pretty unprecedented. They will also lay off 40% of their workforce. Shares plunged 24% - now pretty much back to when I first bought them. I really do feel guilty about making such an obscene profit from a company now in such obvious distress.
My guilt is made worse because I have really loved my Blackberry. It is still the best email device there is. Trouble is almost every other phone does everything else better.
With Nokia throwing in the towel to Microsoft, surely someone will come and put Blackberry out of its misery? It still has 70m users like me. Surely that's worth something?