I work on Positron, and I would say that Spyder can be a great choice for someone doing data science who uses Python only. I would argue that Positron is a better choice for people who use more than one language during their regular work (Python + C, Python + Rust, Python + JavaScript, etc) or who want a more customizable, extensible IDE.

Thank you for the extra context. Best of luck on your project. I might check it out if I ever need something like Spyder with a different language.