There must be huge costcutting benefits. Easier to store and transport. They probably stay fresher longer.
To anyone who wasn't around back then, let me tell you, those original Pringles tasted like shit. To be more precise, they tasted like instant mashed potatoes-- which, in the seventies, tasted like shit. To no one's surprise, the brand seemed to disappear for a while. But someone must have been determined, because they came back reasonably improved. I would never have expected that they'd not only still around today, but that I would actually scarf down a can from time to time.
Hah, yeah. I guess people have come to do this with other products, but at the moment all I can think of is the kids on a South Park episode calling KFC "Colonel". STAN, I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOUR MOM WAS BRINGING HOME COLONEL!!