Performance will continue to be a critical driver going forward, especially as Intel introduces new methods of interacting with the device, such as 3D gesture control, voice recognition and control and even eye-tracking. Effective real-time voice control alone consumes huge amount of processing power. Today even smartphone cameras have 13 MP. Editing that video is going to take enormous compute & graphics power.
Vendors that can't keep up with Intel in absolute performance will be left behind.