I will try to keep this short and not nerd out.
Bitcoin the coin has no value IMO and this goes for any crypto coin. I believe the value is the blockchain technology that the coins are built on. This is mostly theoretical right now and not a lot of real world use. I also imagine by time we do start to see mainstream uses that it will look very different than it does now. Par for the course when it comes to emerging technologies.
We are coming up on 20 million coins mined for Bitcoin and 21 million is the cap. This doesn't matter honestly since if any coin ever comes close to being used by the mainstream, it will not be Bitcoin. There are newer coins with better tech behind it that would be much easier to use. A good example, Bitcoin doesn't have smart contracts. Most feel Ethereum would be the one to go mainstream as a viable coin if any ever did.
Anyone can read the blockchain. That is part of the appeal. There are websites that let you read it.
https://blockstream.info/