I can understand, if not personally endorse, the need for "apps" on smart phones where access to functionality like the accelerometer is not available through APIs used to create browser based apps, but Google's insistence on trying to push app stores in the browser will just lead to pointless balkanization of the open web.
I do see the benefit of some apps (I love Pocket and Clearly). But in terms of usability, I have seen issues that haven't been sorted out yet, such as the interaction with Chrome Sign-In (on public computers, the app start pages start up every time you sign in). And I do think this focus on browser app development takes away some of the effort that should be done on the web itself.
Conveniently, you can still run them using desktop Chrome. Should be handy for development.
edit: nevermind, I somehow managed to confuse it with Chrome Web Store.