Bitcoin user adoption is horrible - here is why:

[johnyj]

Imagine that you have a secret Swiss bank account, will you use those Swiss franc to buy coffee in china?

The easiest way is always use domestic fiat money to buy coffee, only an exchange will suffice that, just like those Forex exchange desks in airport/train station. I really think those forex desks  should add bitcoin conversion in their service, but currently localbitcoins is enough

[sbtctalk]

Think of btc as forex. A company may hold yen for strategic reasons and dump yen due to potential change in government and loss of investor confidencd to gain profits. Yen is backed by Japanese central bank, but...

what is btc based on? It is not backed by any authoritative entity.

[crazyivan]

"Paul Puey, CEO of Airbitz, said in a blog post: "We are excited to announce that we've integrated Fold into our app! Now, you can buy gift cards for Starbucks and Target within the app in the same tab where you can buy and sell bitcoin through Glidera."

So, Fold is now integrated into Airbitz.  Use Glidera, to buy bitcoin to buy a gift card to use via Fold through your AirBitz wallet - to get a coffee! 

Get it?!  Neither do I.  The more ridiculous steps between being thirsty and getting a coffee - the less likely users will adopt the system.  This is just freaking horrible.  I am convinced that major players like AirBitz inability to see this will ultimately cause alienation of end users.  Even a hard core bitcoin nerd couldn't enjoy this transaction.  Real people would laugh their head off if you told them they should buy a coffee this way.  More steps and more middlemen?  = sure death. 

 you > Glidera > Fold > Airbitz > Starbucks 

forgetaboutit

Absolutely the biggest problem related to Bitcoin adoption is its connection to criminal activities and army or scammers using it. In that sense, anonymity s been the worst trait BTC has brought us, in addition to bunch of other useful things. Those people who wish to hide all the time are the people who have a reason to hide.

[mad.enchantment]

It doesn't even sound reasonable and difficult to actually think about it rather than doing it. Why would you need to establish 2 middlemen for a transaction? I'm heavely with bitcoin adoption but I agree it is too much of an effort like this. Many sites adopted BTC just by partnering with coinbase to exchange btc to usdinstantly. I think that's sufficient.

[LiteCoinGuy]

I too agree that these are too many steps between being thirsty and having a coffee. But if we don't go through this, we probably won't have sellers/retailers accepting Bitcoin soon... So this is a necessary evil, I think.

Go ask BitPay or GoCoin.  User adoption of bitcoin is near zero.  People don't actually use it.  The process needs to be simplified.  This is not a step in the right direction.  BitPay is also horrible.  Too many steps.

Bitpay is great. it is just a QR code which you can scan. did you ever pay with BTC   ?

[HarHarHar9965]

I too agree that these are too many steps between being thirsty and having a coffee. But if we don't go through this, we probably won't have sellers/retailers accepting Bitcoin soon... So this is a necessary evil, I think.

Yeah now not largely Bitcoin accepting by the all the places. To araise from this Bitcoin adotion is needed very much. these kind of adoption in bitcoin will help for bitcoin users and all community too.

[johnyj]

Think of btc as forex. A company may hold yen for strategic reasons and dump yen due to potential change in government and loss of investor confidencd to gain profits. Yen is backed by Japanese central bank, but...

what is btc based on? It is not backed by any authoritative entity.

It is backed by Atlantis at least

In fact Yen is not backed by Japanese central bank, just printed by. You bring your Yen to Japanese central bank, you can only get Yen back nothing else. Only the merchant in Japan can give you something useful in exchange of Yen

But you could further look into the example of Swiss franc: If you bring billions of Swiss franc to Switzerland, you really can not get a lot of things there, that is a small country with limited physical goods and services, however many billionaires store their wealth into Switzerland just because its secret banking service

[DGulari]

If you bring billions of Swiss franc to Switzerland, you really can not get a lot of things there, that is a small country with limited physical goods and services, however many billionaires store their wealth into Switzerland just because its secret banking service

Clearly you have never been to Switzerland.  Probably never even seen a picture of the place.  Limited physical 'goods and services'? You are clearly smoking way too much crack and heroin.  You can get anything in Switzerland.

[DGulari]

It is backed by Atlantis at least

Backed by their very formidable army presumably?

[pedrog]

It is backed by Atlantis at least

Backed by their very formidable army presumably?

Aquaman, the King of Atlantis, is the most powerful being in the Justice League.

[mtnsaa]

I've been saying this for a long time but many users here are in complete denial thinking bitcoin is easy to adopt. It's actually one of the most complicated things that can be explained to a common person. That's why Apple and Google and Facebook rule the world, because it's easy and they work.

I'm not in Europe or the US, to get Bitcoins I have to rely on a local transaction (really?) or use shady sites with incredible fees. Even if you are in the states, what's the point of doing that if you just can pay with CC or Paypal? Not to mention non refundable transactions, decimals, endless address, authorization keys, brain wallets and god knows what.

Now don't get me wrong, the technology is completely unique just as the internet was once it started, but it's clearly on its infancy if the goal is to be massively adopted. Maybe in a couple of years with updates and price stability (something I won't even get started with) it can start being adopted by more people. Until then, it's only good as a commodity or investment (either short or long term).

[erre]

"Paul Puey, CEO of Airbitz, said in a blog post: "We are excited to announce that we've integrated Fold into our app! Now, you can buy gift cards for Starbucks and Target within the app in the same tab where you can buy and sell bitcoin through Glidera."

So, Fold is now integrated into Airbitz.  Use Glidera, to buy bitcoin to buy a gift card to use via Fold through your AirBitz wallet - to get a coffee! 

Get it?!  Neither do I.  The more ridiculous steps between being thirsty and getting a coffee - the less likely users will adopt the system.  This is just freaking horrible.  I am convinced that major players like AirBitz inability to see this will ultimately cause alienation of end users.  Even a hard core bitcoin nerd couldn't enjoy this transaction.  Real people would laugh their head off if you told them they should buy a coffee this way.  More steps and more middlemen?  = sure death. 

 you > Glidera > Fold > Airbitz > Starbucks 

forgetaboutit

wrong mindset and bad example.
the example above is like saying an american uses an app to buy euro's, to then buy a giftcard for starbucks america to buy a coffee in america..
ofcourse americans wont see the point in moving to euro's first.

but.. imagine gold.

2015 buy gold with the app, store it.. then next year when the price rises they can sell the gold for profit and buy more coffee..

bitcoin is not meant to be bought, to be sold instantly.. thats just insane. its meant to be bought to be saved up, like a bank savings account.. just without the need of a bank manager to hold it.. the app is just used to make it easier to buy one day and sell many many days later. not seconds later.

This is what bitcoin actually is, but absolutely not what it was meant to:

https://bitcoin.org/en/bitcoin-paper

Bitcoin dosen't need any middleman.

[QuestionAuthority]

You're missing the fact that Bitcoin is trendy, edgy, cool. Is it easy to get a tattoo or a piercing? Hell no it's not! So why should Bitcoin be easy? If it was easy every little four eyed pussy in town would be using it.

[DGulari]

It is backed by Atlantis at least

Backed by their very formidable army presumably?

Aquaman, the King of Atlantis, is the most powerful being in the Justice League.

This is a very good point.  I hadn't considered this earlier.

[BittBurger]

The reason there is zero user adoption is because of lack of incentive.   Not anything else.

Everyone who thinks ease-of-use is more important that incentive has it backwards.

We have made Bitcoin easy to use many times over.   Circle was supposed to be the easiest way to get Bitcoin.  Did adoption start?

No.

Why?  Because it doesn't matter how easy something is to use if people still have no reason to use it.

You're correct that these crazy multi-faceted roundabout methods to get a coffee with Bitcoin are bad.   But they're just a symptom of the larger problem.

Products and services need to be built on top of the bitcoin protocol.  Each product/service will have its own marketing team and incentive structure.

The innovation on the layer above is where incentive is supposed to come from.  

Can the protocol itself support all the innovation that we need on the layer above?   That's the other question.

-B-

[mtnsaa]

Right, but is there any incentive to actually build those services on top of Bitcoin?

[gentlemand]

There are far too many people providing solutions to problems that don't really exist and this is why there'll be very few Bitcoin focused businesses that survive long term.

It could also be argued that Bitcoin itself doesn't really solve many day to day problems for first world folks however you want to frame it. It's those who are slightly outside that world who should be the ones driving it.

[tl121]

I too agree that these are too many steps between being thirsty and having a coffee. But if we don't go through this, we probably won't have sellers/retailers accepting Bitcoin soon... So this is a necessary evil, I think.

If one starts out with a good supply of bitcoin in one's wallet, whether from mining, employment or purchase, it is easier to purchase goods or make a donation over the web using bitcoin than any other method of payment and it's less risky, too. Complexities appear only if you are living "hand to mouth" when it comes to your bitcoin wallet.  But then, many people live hand to mouth when it comes to fiat.

[damiano]

I have to agree with you that there is horrible and to long and reliant on middle men. Bitcoin to me is meant to take us away from  the middle man and into straight transaction relying on nobody but miners and your wallet security.
I'm still hopeful all that funny business will fade away and we will make straight transaction payments with bitcoin. I do question if it currently gets enough usage to warrant that though.

[johnyj]

If you bring billions of Swiss franc to Switzerland, you really can not get a lot of things there, that is a small country with limited physical goods and services, however many billionaires store their wealth into Switzerland just because its secret banking service

Clearly you have never been to Switzerland.  Probably never even seen a picture of the place.  Limited physical 'goods and services'? You are clearly smoking way too much crack and heroin.  You can get anything in Switzerland.

You get TV from Japan and Korea, cars from Germany, Computer from US, Airbus from France, get almost everything else cheaply from china, but Switzerland? A couple of clocks filled with diamonds selling for millions, not interested for majority of the new generation except people who have nowhere to throw their money