I have an eleven-inch 2014 MacBook Air and a 2015 13-inch Air, the latter purchased in 2016. Both began to experience software compatibility issues in the last year or so, running an older OS. I ran that older OS (Mojave) to be able to use older software that I much preferred over its updated versions.
Eventually, however, I had to accept reality and updated the OS and some software on both laptops earlier this year.
The eleven-inch Air now runs Mavericks but very likely will not work sufficiently well beyond that OS (it is compatible, theoretically, with Big Sur) due to its 4GB base memory limitation. I lost my preferred software iterations without regaining any significant functionality more generally. Meanwhile the 13-inch Air with its 8GB (base) memory has been updated to Monterey (from Mojave), works well (other than losing the older versions of Word and Pages) and it has now replaced the eleven-inch Air as my first choice laptop for functionality when out of the office/away from home (though the smaller Air was lighter and more compact for travelling – an ideal travelling companion, in fact). I may get another couple of years out of it if I manage not to buy the lovely (black) MacBook Pro!
My conclusion: had I gone for 8GB in the eleven-inch Air at point of purchase in 2014 then I would probably still be using it as my main portable computing solution in 2024. That’s an area where the extra memory can still make a difference for some: where an extended period of viable usability is preferred on the part of the user; though with all the AI stuff emerging, how this will affect some devices' longevity remains to be seen.
At any rate, I reckon the extra RAM is good insurance.
