Before I begin to start talking about the limitations I have experienced, let me say that this experiment has been going well. The shift from primarily using the Apple Pencil rather than a keyboard was a surprisingly low hurdle to clear — one that relied more on buying in to overcoming issues. There have been some tradeoffs with this shift but it has not been difficult.
That said, I have been doing an unusual amount of this experiment while on the road (I traveled to Stockholm, Sweden for the annual conference of the International Yeats Society.). It is absolutely true that this environment where the Mini shines. Any device that is easy to use on an economy class tray table is going to seem extra brilliant.
Now that I am back in the classroom and my office, however, some anticipated limitations are coming back to the fore. Most have an obvious work around or adjustment. And any time your tech changes — either because of hardware or software upgrades or new requirements — there will be these kinds of adjustments. The only reason it is worth mentioning is how little adjustment there has been.
The Limitations
Scribble is not universally simple. Pages (as is the case with many other productivity/office suite applications) can be used with the Apple Pencil but it is really set up for a keyboard. Although I have noticed that it gets easier in Pages the more I use Scribble, so it may be that there is a comfort/learning curve for Pages that does not exist with Notes. Notes is the better hand writing experience. It is a trivial shift to make — start using Notes or copy/paste your text from one to the other. It does highlight a surprising absence: you cannot share a Note file to Pages via the share sheet.
It also highlights another feature that would help those who have embraced Scribble: The ability to lock your input to the Pencil rather than an onscreen or mechanical keyboard.
You still need a mouse or trackpad on call. This is less a failing of the Mini and due more to the disinterest of (or failures by) software developers. Whoever is responsible, however, is less important than the need. While in the office, I have used an old Logitech USB-A wired mouse plugged in to a Satechi Aluminum Type-C Mobile Pro hub. it works fine but would be an early upgrade if I stuck with a Mini.
I miss Stage Manager. The biggest reason I night not be able to has to do with external monitor support. The monitor at my desk connects nicely enough -- even if I miss the expanded functionality that Stage Manager brings.
The big problem is the monitor at the front of the room when I teach. When I plug in the iPad Pro, it works well. The Mini often produces a black screen.
Because the middle of class is not when one should be troubleshooting, I have not been able to determine if it is a refresh rate issue or just a glitch in the system so I may yet find a work around. Nevertheless, the fact that the iPad Pro works without a glitch and the Mini doesn’t is worth noting.