Since the new app launcher is hidden, it's likely that less people used it than the old black bar. Google Trends shows that the search volume for queries like [google docs], [google drive], [google news] or [google calendar] increased a lot in September, when the app launcher was released. If the links at the top of the page are missing, the search box saves the day.
Here's a Trends chart that shows the US search volume for [Google Calendar] in 2013 and 2012:
{ Thanks, Jérôme. }