When will bitcoin become widely accepted as a payment option in real life?
Telling you this is just like telling you what the future is about, which will not be true; furthermore, it will be very hard to get this answer because nobody knows what will happen. If you ask what will happen tomorrow, you can see that it will just be a prediction, but the thing is that nobody will tell you when Bitcoin will be accepted as a means of payment world-wide if that is what you are talking about because the currency is not accepted in many countries. The only thing I can tell you is that some countries have accepted it. and even in those countries, they did not fully accept it as an alternative payment method because they have their own local currency.
Was the initial design of bitcoin intended for use as a form of payment? What aspects contribute to making bitcoin a viable payment option? I know that currently, bitcoin is seen more as an investment rather than a means of payment. Is that correct?
Yes, actually, the main purpose of creating bitcoin is to make payments when purchasing something, but due to its volatility, people have discovered another way of investing, and seriously, I can say that it is because of this investment that Bitcoin has gained more recognition now. If not, I don't think it would have gained this popularity. If not, I don't think people will accept it this way, and now that it has saved many individuals from poverty, lack of jobs, and some other things, the aspect that contributes to making Bitcoin a viable payment method is this investment.
I'm talking about some people who invested and still use it to pay for something if they buy something from a store where they accept Bitcoin. so I think investment also contributes to making Bitcoin a viable means of payment. With time, everything will go as it is supposed to because you know it is going to be something that will happen in a short period of time.