> I see bitcoins as the storage of value, but not method of payment.
If they are a storage of value, you have to be able to buy and sell them. Therefore exchanging them has to be possible. I don't see big step from this to actually using them as a payment. Instead of exchanging traditional money with them, you just exchange the goods and services directly.
My point is based on what is happening with all current legal tenders. They are being replaced by methods and promesses. Example: checks, debit and credit transactions, et al. They represent a value, but are not the value. Most of the time, we buy things with a promess of payment, not with value itself.
So I came to the idea that bitcoins are actually more useful as a way to store value (bank notes, bank money) than currency (dollars).
So, your bank would store your bitcoins for you and you will still using the miriad of payment methods. Example: you use your current visa debit card, pay with the promess that your bank will transfer the bitcoins to the merchant.
That way we could be using bitcoins today instead of next decade.
That said, I see bitcoins becoming the value (think of bills) but the current payment methods will remain the same, except that cashiers will type X bitcoins instead of X dollars.
If they are a storage of value, you have to be able to buy and sell them. Therefore exchanging them has to be possible. I don't see big step from this to actually using them as a payment. Instead of exchanging traditional money with them, you just exchange the goods and services directly.