Well, both.

UA now offers confirmed upgrades, and unlimited upgrades. In the end, it's a huge enhancement for the 1K/GS, and something that no other airline offers.

And I can't disagree more with the notion that CR1's never clear at booking. I have been using miles for domestic upgrades all year, and EVERY flight has cleared, well in advance. Don't brush the CR1's under the table and insinuate they are worthless. With a bit of searching, finding NF and NC is easy, as long as you aren't hell bent on that IAD-SFO A319