Unknown HP Classic Prototype

[John Garza (3665)]

Weird thing is, there is absolutely no need for pre-programmed machines if you have a decent programmable. My guess is it was a marketing/price-point issue. Or maybe a slight edge on execution speed. On less technical products, one also considers 'dumbing it down' for the typical user and making it more foolproof. But I don't think that's the case with calculators of this type.