I can easily envision a scenario that would preemptively “explain” why the pagers are internally different from past models:

Supplier: “Hey, we’ve got a refreshed model of the pager you wanted to buy in bulk. Interested?”

Buyer: “I don’t know, how do they work?”

Supplier: “Same as the other ones, minus a bit less plastic protection. With the weight savings they’ve added a new hardened receiver that’s supposedly more secure and will keep communications private. Also, they are 50% cheaper per unit…”

Buyer: “Say no more. We’ll take them.”