
In the simplest form how would it be possible for the price not to rise substantially in the next couple of years?
Diminishing supply + growing exposure + exponential investment + trading options = positive price increase.
I'm not sure why anyone would be concerned about investing in the technology... this is a great time to expand the wallet.
How many will be regretful for not taking advantage of early 2015 pricing?
The price is going to continue falling. The main issue with Bitcoin is it's only really useful for criminals (drug dealing, money laundering, etc.)
Think about it: Why would someone convert their fiat into BTC so they can then go to Taco Bell, or Wal-Mart, or fill in the blank, and buy a bean burrito with bitcoin? The additional exchange step is unneeded. To make matters worse you have to keep a record of capital gains. And buying bitcoin is not easy.
Fact: Bitcoin is unneeded by 99% of the world population. It's a fun experiment with limited practical use.
Steve Jobs and Bill Gates created something that everyone wants, Satoshi created something that every criminal wants. Fortunately, there are a lot of criminals in the world to sustain the currency, but there's not enough ordinary consumer demand to get bitcoin mainstream.
I can't tell if you were just playing devils advocate but i understand the concern but the truth is that the world is becoming more and more global at quick rate and this is where Bitcoin really comes in. Online we talk and befriend people around the world and something the internet needed was a decentralized online currency and as this borderless world keeps increasing so will bitcoin. There is a demand for it and it will increase, sure criminals want it but criminals were (and still are) using prepaid greendot cards, criminals will use whatever they can and that won't stop.