google In-App payments - competition?

[julz]

Google have their own spiffy video regarding online payments:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EEOWbIqQdE

So *we* here all see the benefits of a decentralized system like bitcoin - but will the consumers and merchants?

One of google's strengths is making things easy, which for the average merchant/consumer bitcoin is not.

Is bitcoin's success going to be less about the ideals of freedom and decentralization and more about the practical aspect of what payment system gets the most share of the mobile market?

Google need only add user-to-user payments, and suddenly, to a lot of people - it's all just one payment system vs another... convenience wins.

Will the fact that bitcoin is fundamentally different simply be lost on the general public?
Could a perceived edgy/underground/political nature of bitcoin work against it? 

If any centralized system can gain worldwide domination, it'll surely be google.  Bitcoin might have the edge as far as sneaking into China via the back door - but is it enough?

[1714831491]

1714831491

[indicasteve]

Google sucks...check the crappy BTC exchange I'm building using their appengine.  https://bitswaps.appengine.com   

[tonygal]

a 5% fee and they hold your money for a MONTH?

No thank you!

[error]

a 5% fee and they hold your money for a MONTH?

No thank you!

Oh, LOTS of people will take the deal. It's much better than the 30% deal.

Still, the point is valid; there absolutely NEEDS to be a Bitcoin in-app purchase library YESTERDAY.

[julz]

a 5% fee and they hold your money for a MONTH?

No thank you!

You think they wouldn't reduce the fee or increase the payout rate to compete?

Also.. the more widely their system is used - the less often people would need to deposit to their bank accounts. They could use their credit within google's system directly with other merchants/users.

If I need to convert bitcoins to dollars there is a delay of a couple of days and an extra fee.. 5% is easily lost on such conversions at the moment.