If there's going to be a cutoff based on performance, having it almost unconnected to actual performance is pretty exasperating.

That sounds quite unreasonable. "You don't deserve to "experience" Windows 11, unless you can afford the newest computers. And if you can't, we won't let you have it. Because maybe it won't work perfectly. Even though you got your computer 4 years ago."

What else other than Intel’s marketing materials use “xth gen” notation? That itself suggests it’s a marketing ploy.

Oof. I'm starting to think there's a bit of old Intel CPU stock they want to make unsaleable.

When they decide they don't want you as a customer any more woudn't you prefer it to be arbitrary rather than targeted specifically in your direction?