I just added a computerized system to my longarm and I will be watching this thread with interest.
Here's where I see advantages to both my customers and to me.
1) My turnaround on edge-to-edge quilts will be much quicker. While the machine doesn't quilt any faster with the computer, it can continue to quilt when I'm tired. I can take a break AND continue to watch the quilting getting done. I don't like having to tell people that I'm several months out on my backlog. I'm hoping to get to a 4-6 week turnaround.
2) Instead of 30 panto choices (edge-to-edge) I now have hundreds to choose from. I recently had a baby quilt come in that had monkeys on it. I was able to do bananas as the quilting. It turned out really cute, and the customer was thrilled. There was lots of backtracking on the design which is not possible from the back of the machine.
3. I can now have more intricate designs, some of which were not possible to do for my customers economically.
4. For those quilts that are not absolutely perfect - and very few are - I can watch the quilt at the front of the machine instead of watching a laser dot on a piece of paper (the panto) as I quilt. I can catch flipped seams and help line seams up as the machine is running. If I ran out of thread before, I could quilt for a long time and not realize it. I now know instantly because I'm watching it. Same goes for unstitched seams - and yes, those do happen.
5. I'm able to add new services. Instead of just edge-to-edge and several levels of custom, I now have a couple of mid-range options. I can do an edge-to-edge with a separate border and borders and blocks.
6. My body will last a lot longer, keeping me in business for my customers longer. Quilting is very physical. I will get plenty of physical work doing custom level quilts, which have from some to no computer guided assistance. All stitch-in-the-ditch is still done by ruler and hand.
I quilt for others so that I can work with designs and colors that I might not choose, or have enough life to be able to make myself. I want to be able to enjoy my customers quilts as I help to get them finished. By working from the front of the quilt, I get to do that.
Cheating? I don't think so. It's definitely a different method and any judging should have it considered separately. But it's no different than hand embroidery vs machine embroidery and hand quilting vs machine quilting.
Have I mentioned lately that I LOVE MY JOB!!!