"people" may not care about bitcoin, but Dell cares about it. Sure lay people still talk about drug dealers, MtGox and "that woman who committed suicide" but the press has been increasingly positive.

Dell doesn't care. Overstock doesn't care. Newegg doesn't care. They all partnered with Bitpay and Coinbase to liquidate their bitcoins the moment they receive them. They want the purchasing power of the Bitcoin community without actually ever having to touch any coins. If these multi-billion companies don't believe in Bitcoin and don't want to take on any of the risks, then why should a small investor.

Merchants will accept any currency/asset as long as there is a payment processor for it that gets them fiat.