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Back in 2007 I was just starting into college, when my old laptop had sadly failed. The christmas of that year I received a Dell Inspiron 1720. It was much bigger than my previous laptop and a great deal more comfortable. The keyboard was spacious and worked like a dream. The hardware NEVER gave out (unlike my previous laptop which was considerably fragile in build and parts). The two hard drive support made it considerably more mobile without the need to carry external devices. The front-mounted media control buttons made usage quick and easy as opposed to using function keys. it was the start of a beautiful future.

Unfortunately, despite my best efforts I could not fight the laptop's passage of time. After 5 faithful years of service my Inspiron 1720 is no longer able to function. Multiple technicians have attempted to troubleshoot the problem, but none can figure out the reason for its constant lockups and failures. The now-dated technology featured within it has led them all to the same recommendation; buy a new computer.

My research following this tearful event has left me astounded and depressed. The current style of Inspiron laptops have deviated from the standard set by the 1720; chiclet keyboards (a new standard I find quite uncomfortable, typing this alone involved a innumerable amount of spellchecking due to missed keys), single hard drive slots, slanted low to the surface palmrests, awkwardly-enlarged touchpads, reflective surfacing and so on. It was shocking to me in the first place to discover the Inspiron 1720 itself had an extemely short shelf life of one year.

While I understand the difficulty in catering to fans of such a brief product, it seems troublesome and concerning to alienate users who have grown used to variety in laptops such as the robust and powerful Inspiron 1720. Key features such as an independent media control system, dual hard drive slots and a choice of keyboard style (there is a more than one reason to buy a PC over an Apple, the keyboard was one of them) should not be disregarded as frivolous features and can still be marketed as useful and convenient features.

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