Nexus 10 2 Release Date (Plus Nexus 8) Is On 2013 Black Friday to Tussle with iPad Air & Retina iPad Mini 2?
Could it be that Google is again revising its release date plans for the Nexus 10 2 and instead of Nov 21, the full-sized KitKat 4.4-powered slate is coming within the 2013 Black Friday week or a few days later from the original launch day?
A report from The Christian Post suggested that Google is looking to challenge the twin iOS tablet offering of Apple in the second half of 2013. The potent weapons that the search giant is unleashing from its armoury are the big-screen Nexus 10, which will be on its second build, and the mid-sized Nexus 8.
The former is reportedly a creation by Asus, which is the same company responsible for the first and second Nexus 7s, while the latter is rumoured as a variant of the recently released LG G Pad. Obviously, the simultaneous tablet push is meant to collide head-on with 9.7-inch iPad Air and the Retina-boasting iPad Mini 2.
The same report provided no confirmation coming from Google, which is the usual case. It should be noted that the Nexus maker quietly issued the Nexus 5, touted as the main iPhone 5S rival in the Android realm. The possibility of the same approach being applied on the Nexus 10 2 and Nexus landings is not remote at all, Android watchers would say.
Also, getting the two vanilla Android slates out on Black Friday makes a lot sense as the move would enable Google to catch with the lead time that the iPad Air and iPad Mini 2 are enjoying.
Analysts view the Nexus 8 thrust as Google's way of capitalising on the purported supply shortages that would hamper the global Mini 2 distribution. With reports stating that only around two million units would be in stock for Q4 2013, the 8-inch Android KitKat device could definitely become an attractive alternative as Apple struggles to ship out as many as iPad Mini 2 for the 2013 holiday shopping rush.
Reports have indicated that once the supplies run out, the Mini 2 waiting time could stretch beyond the Christmas season, potentially providing a small tablet vacuum that Google can fill in via the Nexus 8 with the Nexus 7 2 as another option for shoppers.
To date though, save for a leaked image on Android.com that was eventually replaced by a Nexus 7 pic, the Nexus 8 remains an intriguing mystery that Google is yet shed light on.
As for the Nexus 10 2, the big tablet was first scheduled to debut with the Nexus 5 but it went MIA, which remains its current status. The assumption is, it will take the same course plotted by Google for its 2013 hero smartphone - a surprise outing via the Google Play Store.
On its release date - and the rumour compass now points to 2013 Black Friday - the latest 10.1-inch Nexus 10 build is believed to carry the following specs: a quad-core Snapdragon 800 chip that will work in tandem with 2GB of RAM and an Adreno 330 graphic engine.
Running the whole show, of course, is the red-hot but sweet Android 4.4 or KitKat (formerly referred to as Key Lime Pie in earlier reports).