It looked like Google has finally turn the page on the Nexus 10 2, focusing instead on the 8.9-inch Nexus 8 that supposedly got its official confirmation for a release date later this 2014.

According to Know Your Mobile, as no essential information about the 10.1-inch second Nexus 10 was heard of for quite a stretch it is safe to assume that the full-sized native Android tablet is no longer in the Google radar.

Replacing the device is a mid-size slate that recent reports have indicated will be the final attempt from Google to dogfight with Apple's iPad Air and iPad Mini. Also with the Nexus 8, the Internet search giant is placing its bet on a single.

In other words, with the near 9-inch device, Google will try to bump off the 9.7-inch Air and 7.9-inch iPad Mini (2 and 3) from the top. And the Nexus 8 coming out is somehow confirmed by the discovery of a Chromium Code review, added the same Know Your Mobile report.

Now to answer the 'What, When and How' surrounding the Nexus 8, the details below should offer some clues:

The builder

The jump from Nexus 7 to Nexus 8 will also mark the end of Google's tablet partnership with Asus of Taiwan but according to DigiTimes, manufacturing of the next vanilla Android tablet will remain within Taiwanese shores.

Taking charge of assembling the touted iPad killer is no less than the name behind the critically-acclaimed HTC One (M7 and M8). HTC, the same report added, is scheduled to announce the latest developments on its ongoing Nexus 8 project, likely setting the stage for a tablet unveiling between July and August 2014.

The power beneath

As soon as talks about the Nexus 8 spiked up, suggestions emerge that Google is tapping a different chipmaker for the device, leaving out Qualcomm for its upcoming Nexus device push. Intel entered the picture and numerous reports pointed to the company's very capable Atom-based Moorefield mobile chipset as the powerhouse behind the device.

The news is aligned with DigiTime's latest research figures that outlined Intel's 2014 CPU offerings that will be found on Windows and Android tablet. This thrust, said the report, will lead to shipment of at least 32 million Intel-powered slates.

The tag price

Global consultancy firm IHS Technology is likewise convinced that Google is rolling out a Nexus 7 replacement in the second half of 2014. Alluding to previous reports that the Google-HTC collaboration will produce a worthy iPad rival, IHS told CNET that next tab from the search giant is in the high-end sphere - bigger, faster and pricier.

While the Nexus 7 (both the 2012 and 2013 models) was retailed at a very affordable price point, that will not be the case for the Nexus 8, which IHS said will hit the market at over $300. The mark, of course, is largely justified by the upscale components, apart from the Intel Moorefield chip, resting inside the device's shell.

The market debut

In the same IHS report, it was claimed that HTC will commence the volume production in August 2014 at the latest, positioning the likely Nexus 8 release date between September and October or a few months following the Google I/O Developers Conference in June 24 and 25.