Nowadays ATMs for Bitcoin are made just for fun and advertising purposes since the fees are just unbelivably high! But I'm quite sure that we are going to see more of them in the future and when there is more competition - the fees will go down.
ATM is not how it was supposed to work like, but they definetely have a future - sometimes you just need to have some fiat right now.
This is exactly right. Most of their utility is in advertisment; the actual ability to dispense Bitcoin is just secondary. I mean, I guess they're nice for when you need Bitcoin in a pinch, but that should barely ever happen. Everyone has internet everywhere nowadays, and exchanges offer much better rates.
The problem with Bitcoin ATMs is that their operational expenses is too high. Unlike banks, which don't really use ATM machines to try to earn money directly, the actual Bitcoin ATM and operational costs are financed by the owner and is geared towards making money. Bank ATMs simply serve as a way to keep clientele happy so they could attract more and more customers, while Bitcoin ATM owners can't find incentive in that.
There's also the fact that Bitcoin is digital so you don't
need it in physical form, unlike fiat, so while the idea is cool, I also think it's somewhat unnecessary.
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