I skipped 10, and looks like I'll be skipping 11. Basically ... when it only takes you about 15 minutes to see features that are "new", and after testing, see no "significant" increase in speed on MY computer ... I'll can safely say "I'll pass".

The #1 Reason why someone should buy Painter 11? They don't own any version of Painter.
If you don't own a previous version ... You <i>should</i> buy Painter 11.

I've been using Painter IX for several years and it's still working great for me. I've saved $400 by not buying the two most recent — annual — "upgrades".

One thing that still [REALLY] bugs me about Painter is the stupid layers palette. It's absolutely HELLISH to use. It requires you do go into a small scroll box, and if you have more than 4 layers you must scroll around in this little box to find what layer you're looking for. Work with Groups of layers? It's even more of a nightmare.
PULL THE LAYER BOX OUT OF THE HOLE AND MAKE IT RESIZABLE! You managed to do this with the color palette ... I would think it will be easier to do for the layers palette.
I've been using painter since the very first version ... and so ... this has been bugging me for a long-long time!

Is the Layer Palette better in Painter 11? NO.