It’s obvious Google wants people to use Wallet, but I would argue it’s indicative of weakness, not strength, to require its usage (as opposed to letting the strength of the product draw people to use it).
Similarly, shouldn’t they make us excited to try Google Wallet on these phones, as opposed to forcing us to prepare ahead of time? I mean, if they are still going for a non-evil not-just-another-BigCo vibe.
What system does Google have for collecting money other than Wallet? They're not forcing you to use it because they're trying to push a product -- Wallet is simply the UI for typing in your credit card information.