It depends on how long the box has been on the retailers shelf. I just bought my copy recently and it was version 1.01. No big deal, just download the 1.04 patch and install it (it only takes a couple of minutes).

There is another patch coming out this week (hopefully), so no matter what you will need to download a patch and install it if you want all the current up to date features. This is common for all the simulators, don't let downloading a patch stop you from buying one. A sim is the best investment you can make, IMHO.