Of course.
For a Class-A amp the collector current needs to be more than 350mA if you want to drive the 8 ohm speaker @ 0.5W.
(The collector current needs to be greater than the peak sinewave speaker current of 350mA @ 0.5w).
The high collector current is why Class-A amps are typically only used for low power loads.

One last thing (hopefully) I'm confused about. If 350mA is needed to drive the speaker, then I am confused on how collector current is 350 mA, and not more.
The way I'm understanding it, is that there is a node where the transistor collector, collector resistor, and the output meet. If the collector resistor's current is 350mA, and the speaker requires 350mA, then no current flows down into the transistor. This is probably a misinterpretation.

 

One last thing (hopefully) I'm confused about. If 350mA is needed to drive the speaker, then I am confused on how collector current is 350 mA, and not more.
The way I'm understanding it, is that there is a node where the transistor collector, collector resistor, and the output meet. If the collector resistor's current is 350mA, and the speaker requires 350mA, then no current flows down into the transistor. This is probably a misinterpretation.

Misinterpretation.
350mA going through the transistor is the DC current.
The current going through the speaker is AC current. Hence you need to do AC analysis, not DC analysis.
The AC load (capacitor in series with the speaker) is placed across the transistor collector and GND. You have to analyze the circuit with the load attached as a complete circuit. The current does not go either one way or another. The only other time that happens is in zener regulated circuit or in diode steering battery supply (or any similar situations we can think of).

 

One last thing (hopefully) I'm confused about. If 350mA is needed to drive the speaker, then I am confused on how collector current is 350 mA, and not more.

Why do you say "not more"?
I clearly stated "the collector current needs to be more than 350mA".

 

Class-B has severe crossover distortion. Class-AB designed by smarty-pants does not.
It takes only a little idle current to eliminate crossover distortion but the designers of the LM324 and LM358 were not smart enough so they used almost no idle current.

The very hot class-A amplifier idles at 350mA even when it is not playing sounds. A class-AB amplifier with the same output power idles at about 20mA.

Its not me you have to convince - its the audiophools.

 

Its not me you have to convince - its the audiophools.

By definition, they are impervious to technical facts.