bitcoin is not superior to gold in every single aspect.
I'll have to disagree; but I will admit that not everyone agrees with me.
I agree with this guy though on the subject:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4QFErOdTag(Excepting only the fact that he calls divisibility a tie; when I know there is no way to get a uniform satoshi's worth out of an ounce of gold.
BTC clearly wins divisibility too.)
gold is a much safer more secure store of value.
I can't take 1 ounce of gold and back it up in many formats & in infinite places, nor can I own gold deniably very well. So, no.
But of course most people are irrationally afraid of backing up their data because they don't understand it yet, so I am under no illusion that it will take years for them to come around to understanding bitcoin safety like I do.
it has thousands of years of history as a reliable store of value, bitcoin can make no similar claim.
Again that's just perception, not actual safety.
a flaw in bitcoin could be found tomorrow bringing the value crashing down to ~ zero
I've watched long enough; I'm convinced it doesn't exist.
or a crypto that is superior in every way could be invented that would steal ~ all of bitcoins market share.
Bitcoin is borg. It would be assimilated.
I don't care if it gave every user a pony; no future coin can fight the vast advantage bitcoin has in its' network effect.
bitcoin is for transferring value and speculating, gold is for making your wealth safe and secure. both very useful for what they do but different utilities entirely.
In case you haven't noticed, far more people are using it as a store of value now than anything else. I'd bet you fall under that label too.
At any moment there are only dozens, maybe a hundred people speculating actively...
Every BTC holder is storing value.
One day, hopefully next year,
BTC's benefits as a payment & remittance system will be fully appreciated and that will become the most important aspect on that day. You'll know it's arrived because Western Union will be placing little "going out of business" signs on all of their shops.