So the owners of that hardware will continue using Windows 10. Or, if they desperately need Win 11, the resale value of "good enough to do homework on" compute

So the owners of that hardware will continue using Windows 10. Or, if they desperately need Win 11, the resale value of "good enough to do homework on" computers is still pretty good. But judging by the Win 10 rollout, the people who care enough to have the latest Windows to want it are a very small minority who have recent hardware anyway. I would bet it's a marketing choice, to ensure the the rollout is smooth and people like the experience. The specs might be a deliberate overkill to ensure that the first users have more than enough hardware (which probably was tested well enough), and are more likely to be computer enthusiasts who want latest-and-greatest.