"That wasn't really my point.
I know NASB is supposed to be far closer to word-for-word and therefore better for individual word study. That's not really what I'm talking about, though."
Yes, I understand that. What I think you are talking about is the New 2011 of the NIV, . The chances of you stumbling across a word used in this particular Bible version that is different for the study are pretty slim and I can't belive its use would ruin the comprehension of the study in any manner, however, YMMV. A very extensive analysis of this "New" Bible can be found here.
http://www.slowley.com/niv2011_comparison/
It will be interesting to see how this all shakes down with the general public. I think its going to cause some controversy.
As far as I know they do not plan to keep publishing the 1984 version, and I have heard that they plan on discontinuing the TNIV, but don't know this for sure.
I am not advocating its use one way or the other. I bought it because I like doing parallel comparisons between the ESV, NIV, and NET. The 2011 version for Kindle is currently half the price of the 1984 versions. I personally like the way the ESV reads and even enjoy the more poetic nature of its somewhat archaic language. To me the NIV is easier to read quickly and is easier to understand. The NET has very extensive translation notes, 60,000