With a single picture that leaked out this week, rumours regarding the Nexus 8 were set off, all pointing to an 8-inch vanilla Android that supposedly Google is cooking up to challenge the Retina iPad Mini 2.

According to Gotta Be Mobile, Nexus 5-maker LG is likely putting the KitKat 4.4 tablet together and is known for now as V510, basing on a Bluetooth certification document that was picked up by Blog of Mobile.

The same report suggested that it is highly likely the Nexus 8 will be patterned after the 8.3-inch LG G Pad, noting that the tab strutted the build number V500 when it was first brought to light. The only difference would be Google's Nexus-flavoured G Pad will come with LTE radio signal.

So while it is implied that the Nexus 8 is with form and features, the question remains: Is it for real?

Listed below are the reasons why the internet search giant will pull a huge surprise in the weeks to come and unleash a new iPad Mini foe in the Nexus 8:

The small tablet class needs a stronger Android player

The field, actually, is teeming with slates that bear familiar brand names. Samsung, for one, issued the Galaxy Note 8.0 and the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 in close succession to directly challenge the first iPad Mini but to no avail.

The Mini remains the small tablet of choice for millions of users and that should the case for the Mini 2, especially that Retina display panel, awaited for many months, is now on-board.

The small tablet market is with a gaping hole that Google is attempting to plug with an 8-inch, 720p screen resolution and runs on the latest Android, KitKat 4.4, in pure rendition.

Compact slates are the wave of the future

When the first Mini was debuted by Apple, the tech giant hit a gold mine - that most consumers would buy a tablet that is more comfortable to handle and easier to move around with. It doesn't matter if the slate is a bit underpowered, which is the Mini's predicament, it will surely sell in millions and Apple proved.

That the fifth regular iPad build was trimmed down only confirmed the trend that tablets are gradually morphing into the compact form and Google would not left behind. At present, 8-inch is the sweet spot of tablet size, which fully explains the Nexus 8.

Supply constraints to hurt Retina iPad Mini release

Now, the 2013 holiday season, is the best time to unwrap the Nexus 8, if indeed it is real. Apple has admitted that the Mini 2 inventory will not match the global demands for the product. So there will be a vacuum that Google would gladly fill in.

If the Nexus maker would play it right, capitalising on Apple's Mini 2 supply problems, then it could be a bountiful Christmas for the California-based tech firm. Should the Nexus 8 comes out beyond the modest expectation on rollout time, then it could be too late for Apple to recover by the time the iPad Mini 2 supply reaches the normal levels.

No specifics at the moment but Google could be looking on a Black Friday release date for the Nexus 8, amply setting it up for giant Christmas surge in the weeks to follow.