[Xorlev]

> The only things I can come up with are apps requiring access to outside hardware or files

That's not even 100% true either [1]. For instance, you can flash Android devices from the browser. The example in [2] talks to an attached Arduino device.

[1]: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/12576972

[2]: https://developer.chrome.com/articles/usb/