From one perspective this looks killer: It looks like it supports a long-time pain of being able to direct someone to download an app and then open a specific location within the app. You could now have a QR code that when scanned from a shop didn't just download the right app for the phone, but the applink would also describe what to open once the app is installed.

But from another perspective this looks like a nightmare: It entrenches apps as the universal interface, and not the browser, by keeping people within the world of apps.

I can see why advertising companies want this, the browser is a battleground for control of the presentation layer (adverts) and apps help protect that (by locking out adblock add-ons, etc).