Hello dichro1 and welcome to the forum
Like you, I have used Qimage for years, since 2004 and followed its development during that time with great interest.
I think Ken has already said most things I would want to say but a couple of other comments.
I have had Qimage for some time and it works a teeny little better than Photoshop
You are kidding, with respect to printing, Qimage is in a different league.
To answer your main question
Is the new version any easier to use?
Yes it is! There are some features with the interface that make life easier but you do need to make the effort to learn about them.
So printing from RAW doesn't mean much to me
You should try it
with Qimage Ultimate of course.
I appreciate you have a significant amount of cash invested in other programs (so why be bothered about $90?) but your work flow could be made much simpler using all the features of QU.
You mention "CS5 for final adjustments"; well, QU can do this easily. It has a fully featured editor that includes the unique and amazing Tone Targeted Sharpening (TTS).
One final point
I still find Qimage Pro to be fiddly and sometimes annoying, there is nothing intuitive about it.
This really is an "old chestnut". You say you use all those other programs, I know they are not intuitive, are fiddly and annoying
Try QU, make use of this forum and the learning videos to get the most from a great program.
http://www.ddisoftware.com/qimage-u/learn.htmWe look forward to helping you to continue your photography with Qimage Ultimate
Terry