I have toured for years with the guy that researched and mapped the Sierra Cascades route for ACA, Bil Paul. The route is based on his book "Pacific Crest Bicycle Trail" written in 1990. According to Bil, they had him do a route that included no dirt roads. We did a section from the Oregon border to Sisters, OR, and the route went up some very steep hills; too steep to ride... This could have been avoided by simply taking a good dirt road alternative (which was in his book). So my take on this that the ACA has their priorities and requirements, and they don't always line-up with they way I want to tour.
I use the ACA maps, and appreciate that they exist, but for me they are another planning tool and not the be all, do all.
As for the digital maps, I used them when I was on the Great Divide route. They were wonderful for this route, as the signage is not always there and they can resolve a "should I go left, or right," or "how do I get back to the route" dilemmas . That said, I did not purchase the digital versions for the Pacific Coast route because I already had the paper maps and find them to be sufficient. Maybe someone else can ring in on using digital instead of paper on some of the easier to follow routes.