There’s a lot of power in the notion of the default: The obvious, sensible choice you won’t get picked on for making. Until now, the default choice for an Android flagship is whatever model of Galaxy Samsung is stamping out this year. Sam Rutherford has been using Google’s new Pixel 9 as his daily driver, and he feels the winds of change are blowing. This may be the first time a Google handset has well and truly taken the lead as the default choice. What has pulled the Pixel 9 out from under Samsung’s shadow is the better industrial design, with its utterly gorgeous look and feel, combined with class-leading cameras, a great display, and all of Google’s newfangled AI smarts, making it a winning handset. The list of downsides is so short you’ll have to make an effort not to buy one right now. Snap is reportedly gearing up to launch its fifth-generation pair of Spectacles with more augmented reality features, addressing hardware issues of the previous model but may not be ready for wide sale. Peloton’s financial doldrums mean the company is looking for ways to get more cash in the door, even if it means alienating users for subscription revenue. Neuralink says the second patient in its human trials has had a more successful implant experience than the first, hopeful for more communication and connectivity for patients with accessibility needs. Mike Lynch, founder of Autonomy and Darktrace, was confirmed dead after a search and rescue operation when his yacht capsized in a storm.
