All so we could have 2 minute popcorn in front of our big screen TV sets.........Freedom..........
All joking aside, imagine the practical, real and significant impact as it relates to energy consumption, petrochemical fuels, and lack of generating capacity.
Multiply the cooking and reheating of meals, two minutes vs 25 in a conventional oven, times tens of millions instances daily, and you're talking some real power (and fuel) savings.