If cryptocurrency is to gain mainstream appeal and usage then BTC isn't going to make that happen when fees are ridiculous for small daily type transactions. Im not sure what the currency will be that allows this to happen (LTC? BCH? a million other possibilities?), but BTC is heading towards a future of being locked in a vault and passed down to grandchildren. Years and years from now the value will go very high, and then it will go very low once people truly question why BTC has any value and the only ones left with it are hoarders.
Even if BTC will be locked away in vaults and the basis for generational inheritances, that doesn't necessarily mean micropayments will be impossible. Altcoins may not be necessary, at least for payments. Now that transaction malleability has been addressed by Segwit, the Lightning Network is a real possibility. Even if it ends up being hub-and-spoke, it'll still be a trustless system where micropayments are possible. There are also other possibilities like sidechains, which are effectively altcoins, but transact directly with the mother chain.