December is almost halfway and Google remains silent about the rumoured Nexus 10 2 release date, prompting speculations that the 10.1-inch vanilla Android slate will skip the 2013 holiday season altogether.

Touted as Google's answer to the iPad Air, the second Nexus 10 was first reported to debut end of October this year purportedly for a big combat with Apple's redesigned 9.7-inch tablet. But the all the predictions fizzled out.

Then the cross-hair was refocused to November but again it missed the mark. The same case happened for Black Friday and Cyber Monday to no avail. Then a breakthrough in the weeks that followed.

A device bearing the codename LG V510 surfaced and Android watchers were given the faint hope that Nexus 10 2 still has the chance of being unwrapped in time for Christmas. It turned out that the gadget in subject was the Google Play edition of LG's 8.3-inch G Pad.

So the Android world is left with questions that beg for answers. When really is the Nexus 10 build number 2 coming out. Is there really a plan on Google's part to push for a refresh of the large-screen native Android?

Or perhaps, the device has been canned. If so, what are the reasons? A blog by Paul Briden from KnowYourMobile.com floats some interesting propositions on why the Nexus 10 2 release date is not happening, at least in the next few weeks.

Dropping the Nexus 10 2 is good business decision

The Nexus brand name has become synonymous to quality device that is equally affordable. For the Nexus 4 and 5 plus the two Nexus 7s, Google has been fairly successful in meeting that it previously set for the product line.

But it is different with the Nexus 10, Briden wrote. Putting together high-end components in a full-sized tablet and selling the device at pre-defined prices proved a tough nut to crack for Google. Production costs just keep on increasing and compromising on the specs is out of the question for the internet search giant.

So the better alternative is to put off the 2013 Nexus 10 2 plans. And the resumption will be likely dictated by Google's ability to find a manufacturer that can answer to the specific Nexus device formula, which Samsung, Asus and even LG have yet to provide.

First Nexus 10 sold poorly

Apple's iPad is selling by the millions but contrast the first Nexus 10 was nowhere near the market leader. Citing analyst Benedict Evans, Briden said that as of Q2 2013 only 600,000 plus of Nexus 10s were shifted. The iPad, including the iPad 4, already cleared in tens of millions.

In short, when compared to the tablet that it is aiming to topple, the initial Nexus 10 attempt was a monumental flop. And it would be unwise of Google to recklessly rollout a second make without re-drawing its big-screen tablet war plans, hence the Nexus 10 2 blueprint floats in limbo.

In reality, it is not clear why the tablet is MIA until now though perhaps as soon as Google can come with the right tweaks to challenge the iPad Air then the Nexus 10 version 2.0 will gain enough traction for a fresh take off attempt in 2014.

And maybe by that time, Android fans can still look forward for a Nexus 10 2 release date that is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 800 chip, at least 2GB of RAM and an Adreno 330 graphic engine that would fire up its Retina-busting display panel.