I have no idea what you're even referencing with 'the most popular games'. I play popular games on the Xbox 360 without a Kinect and, uh, I don't really see the Kinect functionality playing any role at all in how I play. I think Mass Effect 3 had voice commands, but that's all I can really think of off the top of my head.
Microsoft is absolutely forcing it down people's throats, because the only option for people to buy an Xbox, is to buy a Kinect. They aren't giving anyone the option to buy the Kinect or not, even if they don't want it. I think that fits the use of the term 'forcing it down people's throats' pretty nicely. I'm sure there are devs who want to use it more effectively, but I severely doubt we'll see anything interesting for years, and even then, it's not going to be enough to really turn public opinion around on the Kinect. I've played it. It's a neat little motion control device, sure, but it's entirely a gimmick. It's a motion controller. It's no more revolutionary than the Wii motion controls or the Playstation Eye or whatever it's called.
See, the difference between SmartGlass and the Xbox Kinect, is that I don't have to buy a tablet or a smartphone with my Xbox. I really, really doubt SmartGlass is going to be utilized in a big way, but that doesn't matter so much, because I'm not being forced to buy a tablet with my console! When given the choice between making a solid multi-platform game that's easy to support, and a specialized, Xbox only game with difficult-to-develop Kinect functionality, I think most will opt for the former, rather than the latter.