The general public really isn't an issue, as the general public tends to do things on a whim after "everyone else" is doing it.  What's Bitcoin to the general public?  I don't know, but my idol is using it, and I heard my geeky pal is making money off it, so it must be legitimate and, ultimately, a good thing, so I will divert my attention toward it and maybe even setup a wallet so I can start getting some, too.  The only thing we need is time, and room for BTC to breathe, and the general public will tag along with the next best technology.  Left unhindered, Bitcoin will spread like a virus, despite the lengthy sciency mathy explanation as to what it actually is.

Ok back on topic, I believe once .001 becomes a common denomination for basic things, mBTC will gain traction.  Right now, 1 USD is equal to roughly BTC.02~ (rounded up), and 1 mBTC is worth about 6 cents.  Considering psychological techniques in marketing, it's generally better to list something as .05 BTC, than it is to list it as 50 mBTC, as .05 BTC looks much cheaper--it's only 5 bitcents!  A bitnickel   If, however, BTC were to jump really high in price (let's say, $1,000 to one BTC), then you have parity with mBTC to the dollar.  At this point, it would be great to start using mBTC, instead of using .001, as I don't know what to call a fraction of a bitpenny that's relevant to the USD   Perhaps then mBTC would look much more attractive in style, despite both being correct usage.