Bitcoin ATM maker Lamassu unveils new pedestal version with 8 week order-to-ship time

There’s a huge amount of free promotion for the first business in a city or region to have a bitcoin ATM, but practically zero media attention for the second. As a result, the ATM company with the fastest delivery time tends to get the business. With that in mind, startup bitcoin ATM maker Lamassu has raised the stakes for all of their competitors, announcing a new machine with a mere 8-week order-to-ship time.

By comparison to “two way” ATMs by competitors like Robocoin, the Lamassu machines have very few features. Buyers insert cash, and their bitcoin addresses are credited with the amount, minus a fee. Bitcoin can’t be exchanged for fiat, and no advanced options offered. It’s a quick way for a cash-bearing newcomer to buy bitcoin, and that’s all. Lamassu is betting that this will be enough, at least for the moment.

Lamassu expects it will have delivered a total 200 bitcoin ATM machines to customers by May.

The Lamassu ATMs are currently priced at $5,000 each, although bulk orders can drop this price to $4,000. The new version of their ATM also comes with an optional pedestal, starting at $1,600.

While the fast turnaround time does give Lamassu a momentary advantage, there are plenty of competitors closing in. With the traditional ATM business becoming increasingly aware of bitcoin, and many existing machines already being retrofitted for alternate uses, it’s possible that the great bitcoin ATM war of 2014 is only just starting.