Google Kills the Chrome App Launcher for Windows, Mac and Linux
Chrome sits in a weird place between the desktop app and the operating system. Although the means of launching Chrome apps makes sense on a Chromebook , on the other desktops is strange. So Google removes that.
Google announced the change on their Chromium blog. Over the next few months, Google will start phasing out the app launcher. Although it will be enabled for a while, Chrome will no longer prompt new users to try it. Eventually, it will be removed completely.
Stop Using the Chrome App Launcher | Chromium Blog