Serious question here. Why is AuroraCoin $70.00 USD per coin? It offers nothing new and 50% of it is pre-mined. Is it just me who is confused here?
Auroracoin overcomes the biggest "flaw" in bitcoin: widespread adoption, with only 0.015% of global population owning bitcoin. Auroracoin's Airdrop will fix that problem (provided it is executed well).
Darkcoin overcomes the second biggest flaw in bitcoin: anonymity. Darkcoin is fixing that, which is why I'm also buying DRK.
I think there is a fundamental oversight in the Auroracoin plan. Why wouldn't the Icelanders trade their free, nascent AUR for the more widely accepted BTC immediately after the Airdrop?
Will they be loyal to a crypto they didn't build or demand? I think they'll begin to dump for BTC, beginning panic selling across the board.
Ultimately that would mean it's a good thing for Icelanders (free BTC) and the Bitcoin adoption rates you mention. It would only be a bad thing for the bagholders who get in now and can't exit the market fast enough.