Yes- IMHO they have to get their software bugs under control. It's like with every arranger they bring out the development starts over. Critical features are dropped, or there are unintended interactions ("bugs.") The world is still waiting for an update on the BK-7M to "fix" the piano-style chord recognition they broke with the last update.

Also: On-board style creation was added to the GW-8 and Prelude version 2. However I tested it on both and it was very buggy. What happened to the nice "alteration mode" parameter that was introduced on the E-series and G-70 version 3? For that matter, what happened to Mark and Jump on the BK-7M??

While it's true that Yamaha rarely bring out anything really new, it's that reuse of their software that allows a highly refined and bug-free product introduction that reduces frustration and conveys an image of quality.

I'm not a Roland hater. I have an E50 and I'm very happy with it. Didn't like the Prelude or the GW-8. Based on others' experience, I don't believe I would be happy with the BK-7M until they bring out v2 with some of the bugs fixed.

Going forward, unless Roland improves their software quality control, don't believe I would buy another with "version 1" software. That's the message I think you should pass on to your sales rep. -Ted