Apps No Longer On Desktop?

Once you’ve updated your desktop version of iTunes, you’ll no longer be able to download your phone’s mobile apps via this method. You’ll have to go directly on to your iPhone/iPad device and download them that way instead.

Nothing has changed in the app store (desktop) itself just that mobile apps have been moved to exclusively mobile devices. Which begs the question, did anyone actually ever download mobile apps from their desktop and sync them across?