A computerized telescope knows where it is pointing and can drive to anything in its database. It removes the single largest obstacle beginners report, which is finding things, and it charges for that in the currency this shelf trades in, which is aperture.
How it knows where it is
You centre two or three named bright stars in the eyepiece and confirm each. From those the computer works out the mount's orientation and the local time and place, and after that it can point anywhere. The alignment takes a few minutes and is the part beginners find fiddly, mostly because it requires recognising two bright stars.
What it does well
Finds faint objects in a light polluted sky where star hopping is impossible because the guide stars are invisible. Tracks at high magnification so a planet stays in the field. Runs a guided tour for visitors. All three are real and all three are why computerised instruments sell so well.
The aperture it costs
At the same price, a computerised telescope typically has about half the aperture of a dobsonian, because motors, encoders and a controller are not cheap. The consequence is an instrument that can find a galaxy it then shows as a faint smudge, and that mismatch is the most common regret in beginner telescope buying.
The middle option worth knowing about
Push-to systems use a phone or encoders to tell you where to push the telescope, without motors. They cost a fraction of a goto mount, solve the finding problem nearly as well, and leave the money in the mirror. Several dobsonians now ship with this built in and they are, for many beginners, the right answer.
Questions people ask about telescope
What is a computerized telescope?
One whose mount knows its orientation after an alignment and can drive to any object in its database, then track it.
Is a computerized telescope good for beginners?
It solves finding, which is the commonest obstacle, at the cost of aperture. Whether that trade is right depends on whether finding or seeing is your problem.
Do goto telescopes need to be aligned every time?
Yes, on two or three bright stars, unless the mount is left set up and powered between sessions.