AP i am not going to get into a slanging match about this, we don't just issue software revisions to fix problems, some are to add features that people requuest, depending on the sites you have installed you may or may not have to flash the panel.
On the + side if we have a probelm at least we admit it, and try and fix it. If you have service agreements in place you wil be going to site anyway, so if the new firmware fixes an issue or adds a feature you want, then just flash the panel as part of the service. Takes minutes to do.