The Google Nexus 8 release date is likely to happen in July 2014 or a few weeks after the 8-inch iPad Mini rival is set to be unveiled via the annual I/O Developers Conference. Report say vanilla Android 4.5 is coming out of the box with the latest compact slate.

According to Android Geeks, Google has scheduled the twin launch separate from the I/O event as another service introduction from the Internet search giant is planned for the developers gathering. The news suggests that Google is looking to stagger the rollout of its 2014 banner products.

Yet the latest information, which Android Geeks said was furnished by an anonymous Googler in Dublin, Ireland, contradicts the earlier reports that the Nexus 8 is set for market entry in the last week of April.

At around that time, some two million units of Nexus 8 will be shipped out by Asus, which was reportedly tapped to manufacture the device. Recall that the Taiwan-based gadget maker is the same firm that put together the 2012 and 2013 builds of the Nexus 7.

But with the slightly bigger Nexus 8 coming out soon, Android Geeks' source has allegedly confirmed that the 7-inch Nexus 7 has been marked for retirement.

"Our source also mentioned that Google will no longer develop a 7-inch Nexus tablet, because of the heavy competition on the segment. Instead, they will try to focus on the 8-inch segment, where they will have to face a smaller number of competitors," said the tech blog site on its report.

The same report did not mention where, when in July and how the Nexus 8 is planned to be pushed out. But going by Google's previous low-key rollouts for its Nexus device line up, it is likely that the pure Android tab will go live silently via the Google Play Store with Android 4.5 in two.

What exactly is the new Nexus make, save for its 8-inch screen profile, remains a tightly-guarded Google secret but if Google really intends for the device to tussle squarely with the Retina-toting iPad Mini 2 then the specs and features should exceed the latter's capabilities.

That would mean the Nexus 8 will be powered at least by a quad-core processing chip, likely from Qualcomm, to match the Mini 2's dual-core and 64-bit CPU. The graphic should be of the latest Adreno GPU that would fire up the Nexus 8's minimum display resolution of 2560 x 1600.

And to actually lure hordes of iPad Mini users away from Apple, the Nexus 8 is seen to carry a lower price tag for the basic model with 16GB and Wi-Fi only connectivity. The range should be between $250 and $300 with the maximum ceiling at $350 with LTE chip and 32GB of internal memory, which still undercuts the Mini 2's starting price of $400.

As the Nexus 8 release date is most likely exclusive to Google Play Store in the initial stage, actually availability or delivery should be expected in the last week of July 2014 given pre-orders will commence early or middle part of the same month.