"Better late than never" is my thoughts on the subject. There is always the option to root if the frustration gets too high. Hopefully, this update is "successful" to the point where it isn't pulled like the previous one.
But, I know that they were able to post the update.zip file online for manual install on the Droid...I wonder if it is the same with the Epic? I guess when I actually get the update I will take a peak and see if there is a similar file somewhere on the phone's memory...