So what’s next for Bitcoin?
We see the biggest risk to Bitcoin being its substitution and/or parallel use by other crypto currencies.
Bitcoin die-hard fans claim that this is never going to be an issue since Bitcoin was the pioneer and as such enjoys first-mover privilege.
This argument is probably flawed because although the BTC is used for payments, this is only a relatively small % of all Bitcoins.
One of its primary uses is being a store of value and for this reason other crypto currencies can always step in and enjoy similar status if aggregate demand requires it.
Despite big promises from early adopters, bitcoin is still plagued by tax and regulatory issues. And the bitcoin community is still fighting over its core technology—a fracas that could significantly hamper bitcoin's ability to expand in the near future.
I think in near or late future bitcoin may be replaced by another coin in popularity with a better alternative for payment technology since bitcoin payments may take too much time in some situations. However bitcoin was the leader long ago and that made it more valuable than others. Today bitcoin seems mostly as an investing option rather than being a payment method.
The truth is that no one knows exactly what will happen to Bitcoin.The technology is interesting and there's a lot of money and confidence tied to it. It's hard to see another coin replacing it soon BUT it can happen.
Bitcoin hitting all time highs will most probably bring in new speculators and price will skyrocket. Bitcoin prices dropping also brings in the same speculators who think they can buy low and sell on a rise. For this reason, my personal belief is that Bitcoin will always maintain the leading position.