Negative articles are one thing, but a bigger issue is simply that Bitcoin is less convenient than current payment systems. Consumers want convenience. For example, it shocks a lot of people to learn that the iPhone wasn't the first smart phone, not by a long shot. Palm had a whole line of smart phones, such as the Palm Trio, so did a number of other manufacturers. These phones all had custom apps and did much the same thing today's smart phones do. iPhone revolutionized everything by making the devices more accessible to the main stream markets. More user friendly, better interfaces, more versatile. Bitcoin needs some way to make that same leap. Until it happens, the success of Bitcoin will be limited.