What's Quaker Instant got that regular old Quaker Oats hasn't?

Flavor varieties aside, is there any difference between the oatmeal in a packet of Quaker Instant and the oatmeal that comes in a box? Could I just pour a little portion of Quaker Oats right out of the big old familiar red, white, and blue cardboard cylinder into a bowl, add some hot water, and mix up instant oatmeal? Or is there something special about what comes in the little packets?

I tried to figure this out by reading labels and looking at the Quaker website, but I did not find the answer. I’m sure they’d rather have me pay for the convenience of ther little packets.

I suppose someone might say I could just take a scoop of regular oatmeal and try it. And yes, I could. But that wouldn’t satisfy my love of the theoretical, you see, nor would it be an explanation. It would just be a bowl of oatmeal.