Apple introduces iPad mini built for Apple Intelligence

Looks like this is eSIM only - which is a show stopper. I'll have to research if they release a SIM mobile option somewhere on earth, if not, I'll probably stick with my current Mini 5 a bit longer (or pick up a discounted Mini 6 for the wait)

Why would that be a show stopper? eSIM is incredibly widely available (see [0] and [1]), you have a number of choices in most countries these days.

[0] https://support.apple.com/en-us/101569

[1] https://esim-world.com/

For me, it's a showstopper because Google Fi does not yet support eSIMs for their data-only SIMs.

Someone had to have the courage to drop the physical SIM slot