Small transactions: cash is faster and 100% secure (money goes from person X to person Y and is verified by counting in 10 seconds or less, vs. bitcoin's 20 minute block confirmation wait).
"Cash is faster"? WTF?
Maybe if I'm stood next to you. But have you heard of this crazy new thing called "the Internet"?
Let's race. You send $4 cash to Hong Kong; I'll send $4 worth of bitcoins. Why would I want to do that you ask? Ever bought a small gadget from ebay? Ever bought an MP3 for less than a dollar from a server that's halfway around the world.
(you're also forgetting that the bitcoin transactions can be seen within, typically, two seconds; it takes 10 minutes to
clear, compared to days for bank wire transfers to clear).
Bitcoin isn't perfect for everything, and buying your morning newspaper might well not be one of its "optimum" uses; but you're seriously ignoring huge areas were bitcoin is, essentially, unbeatable.
Speaking from the perspective of a very wealthy individual, why care about such an inferior currency system at all? This is a proof of concept, not designed for mainstream use, and needs a lot of work. Respect bitcoin for what it is and what it proves. Graham Bell's first telephone is NOT an iphone. Got it?
I don't think anyone is claiming otherwise. The lead developer regularly calls bitcoin an "experiment" in interviews.