I also think we should progress past 8GB baselines but an interesting point: I said this “5 years down the line” back when the M1 first came out, in 2020. Maybe memory requirement inflation is truly starting to slow down.
There is still no reason not to have >= 16 GB besides Apple wanting to upcharge its customers since they have no choice. Also no, it's hardly enough unless you're using you Mac the same way you'd use an iPad..
Ooh, relying on swap to your limited write cycle irreplaceable mass storage seems like a bridge too far to me. I know they do it, but I worry it will shorten the device lifespan if it’s relied on too much.
I am not a fan of the idea that we’d engineer a device to consume a limited resource like that in normal operation.
Perhaps the contrary: 8GB is already a humongous RAM size. Especially if backed up by a fast SSD.
That really should be enough for everyday jobs like the examples mentioned (waaay more than enough, imho).
As for pro-level / servers / serious gamers / engineering jobs etc: sure, go ahead and deck it out to whatever budget & product offerings allow.
Just remember this is a decidedly different market segment than average consumer.