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problems and other headaches, but the node capacitances are all less since it is so small and that makes them really clean-- little overshoot and such. You can also get a buck-boost version that hooks to external FETs and inductor and get 98% efficiency.
Or maybe the FET.
There are people who do not have the liberty to sprinkle $10 parts left and right on their boards. They aren't stuck in the 60's but find discrete solutions that do the trick for 20% of that money or less. Because they have to.