Obviously Blizz doesn't think so, seeing as they added "Spell Alerts" (basically, Power Auras for some procs and abilities) into the actual game.

Think of it this way: you are simply moving information from a place where it was more obscured to a place where it is more visible.

You can look at your own buffs to determine the time left on each of your abilities. You can glance at the unitframe of your target to determine the health remaining. You can select a unit and look at its buffs to determine if it has an existing powerup. All of this is available in the standard UI. PowerAuras and other addons really just makes it easier to notice.

You may see it as a crutch; other people see it as a way to be more effective.

For the most part, Power Auras takes what information is already available and allows you to customize how it is displayed on the screen.

Steve_S, I respectfully disagree. I don't believe power auras are "cheating" because they don't give you any information that isn't already available to you. However, rather than scanning through 10 buffs or debuffs to find one you want or trying to guess if an enemy with 41786 out of 117675 is really below 35% or not, you can make a simple shape appear on your screen instead. This game throws A TON of info at you, and the quicker you can react to it, the better you perform.