Like an aging rock star seeking to reach a new audience, Microsoft is betting Windows 11 will help it connect with a new generation.

Why it matters: Microsoft could once count on a huge portion of the computing market choosing Windows because their business demanded it or they needed a specific app that wasn't available elsewhere. Today, many businesses are putting the choice between Mac or Windows in the hands of individual workers.

The big picture: Windows still dominates the PC landscape, but the Mac has nearly doubled its share over the last few years. Chromebooks have made significant inroads as well, especially in the U.S. education market.

In an interview, Windows and Surface head Panos Panay acknowledged the change in competitive dynamics and the need for Microsoft to give Windows customers something new.

• "You don't want to feel behind, for sure," Panay told Axios, reiterating his oft-stated goal that Windows be something people want to use, rather than something they have to use. "There's a group that needs it, but there is a larger group that wants it," he said of today's Windows.

Catch up quick: Windows 11 is now available on new PCs and as a free update for existing computers.

• Windows 11 includes a fresh user interface, built-in Teams video chat and other tweaks, including a news feed and updated widgets.
• Microsoft has debuted a new line of Surface computers, as have computer makers Asus, HP and Lenovo. Other computer makers, including Acer, Dell and Samsung, also have new models in the works, Panay said in a blog post.

Between the lines: The days when Mac vs. PC was almost a religious choice are gone, but Microsoft is still playing up choice as one of its key arguments.

• While the Mac comes in only a few different varieties, Windows comes on a huge range of desktops, laptops, two-in-ones and tablets, ranging from high-end gaming PCs that sell for thousands of dollars to inexpensive laptops that cost only a couple hundred dollars.
• Windows also supports touchscreens and direct pen input, while Apple limits those features to iPads and iPhones.
• Gaming is another Windows stronghold, with Microsoft having leveraged both its Xbox brand and its long history of PC-based video games.

Yes, but: One of the key features of Windows 11 — support for running Android apps via the Amazon App Store — isn't quite ready.

• "It's taking a little bit," Panay said, saying the company is still working with Intel and Amazon to make sure the feature works perfectly.

Go deeper: So far, the Windows 11 reviews are mixed.

• The Verge praises some of the key features, but likens the software to a home that is still being renovated.
• Engadget calls it "Microsoft's most pleasant OS — until it isn't," noting that the new design improvements also bring with them new frustrations.

It's almost certainly a coincidence that Facebook's major hours-long outage Monday came just after a whistleblower's revelations and just ahead of today's Senate hearing. That didn't stop both Facebook and its critics from using the event to bolster their arguments.

Between the lines: Critics saw the outage as a sharp reminder of the enormous concentration of power in one company's hands. Meanwhile, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg used his apology for the down time to emphasize that his company's products create human connections around the globe.

What they're saying:

• Internet Accountability Project founder Mike Davis: "There should not be a situation where that many users across the globe are at risk of having their personal information sold or losing access to their networks, markets, friends and families."
• Author Stephen King: "Facebook outage the #1 story on the nightly news (ABC). This is the very definition of addiction."
• Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg: "Sorry for the disruption today — I know how much you rely on our services to stay connected with the people you care about."

Meanwhile, two more quick thoughts:

1. The outage will be a big revenue loss for Facebook — on the order of hundreds of millions of dollars — but Facebook isn't hurting for money and will recover in no time.

• It's a bigger deal for businesses that rely on Facebook's services.
• It was also a bad day for Zuckerberg's net worth, which declined by several billion dollars as Facebook stock tumbled. But that's a paper loss and he's still plenty wealthy.

2. In the U.S., the outage was more an inconvenience than anything else, as people had to wait to catch up on their friends or Instagram feed. But in other parts of the world it was a much bigger deal.

• In many countries, Facebook's services, offered on cheap mobile plans, are the de facto internet, and WhatsApp is a basic communications utility.

Facebook's latest string of controversies and misfires is beginning to seriously weigh on its stock performance, Axios' Sara Fischer reports.

The big picture: In the past, investors have mostly shrugged at blows to Facebook's reputation, including Capitol Hill hearings and leaks, and instead have focused on ad and user growth as metrics for success.

Details: Facebook's share price is down roughly 15% since it hit an all-time high on Sept. 7, the biggest dip since its decline at the onset of the pandemic and the third-worst negative streak in its history.

• Its share price took a major hit Monday following the whistleblower's interview with CBS' "60 Minutes" Sunday and the network outage.
• Facebook's stock has been declining for weeks, following the release of a series of reports from the Wall Street Journal detailing the whistleblower's findings and an admission by the company on Sept. 22 that changes to Apple's privacy terms will continue to hurt its ads business.

Be smart: Facebook's business has withstood controversy and scrutiny for years, in large part thanks to the millions of small businesses that are hooked on cheap Facebook ads.

• Even a major advertiser boycott around content moderation last year barely dented the company's revenue.

But now Facebook is facing an existential crisis: What happens when some of its rivals, free from the regulatory attention beating down on Facebook, begin to chip away at its market share and are left free to innovate faster?

• TikTok last week said it hit 1 billion users worldwide. Snapchat posted higher user and revenue growth last quarter. Facebook's main app, meanwhile, continues to show signs of stagnant user growth.
• Facebook's social ads business is vulnerable to Apple's privacy changes in a way that Google's and Amazon's search ads businesses are not.

On Tap

• Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen testifies before a Senate Commerce subcommittee.
• GeekWire Summit continues online and in Seattle, while BoxWorks kicks off online.

Trading Places

• California named former FTC and Obama administration official Ashkan Soltani as executive director for the state's Privacy Protection Agency.

ICYMI

• Chip manufacturing company GlobalFoundries, currently owned by the UAE, filed for a U.S. IPO. (CNBC)
• A union representing those who work behind the scenes on film and televisions shows has authorized a strike amid issues with pay for work done for streaming services. (CNN)

Each year my mom gets me a Toblerone for Hanukkah, often finding one bigger than the one she got the prior year. Apparently she is hard at work on this year's present.