Nexus 9, Android L Release Date is October 24 After October 16 Google Intro

Google has reportedly approved the use of Huawei’s in-house Kirin application processor to power the 2015 Nexus smartphone, replacing the Nexus 6. China’s Huawei has been widely rumoured to take over from Motorola in assembling the native Android flagship phone. (IN PHOTO) A Google logo is seen at the garage where the company was founded on Google's 15th anniversary in Menlo Park, California September 26, 2013. (Photo: REUTERS / Stephen Lam)

Release date of the Nexus 9, Google's upcoming HTC-built flagship tablet, is set to happen on October 24 or a week after its grand unveiling, a new report said.

Developer Paul O'Brien shared via Twitter that the HTC Nexus 9 will start rolling out on October 24 in the United Kingdom. Note that O'Brien earlier tweeted that the tablet will be unboxed on October 16 and naturally in the same occasion the software to power the device will be revealed too - that is Android L or Android 5.0.

The swift Nexus tab arrival aligns with earlier suggestions that by the start of November 2014, Google would have pushed out its answers to Apple's current flagship products.

The iOS 7 replacement, iOS 8, is now available for global download and it is assumed that as soon as the Nexus 9 become live on the Google Play Store, KitKat or Android 4.4x will see the next build to bump it off from Android devices.

But while the 2014 iPads - iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 - have yet to be confirmed by Apple, Google appears to opt for a pre-emptive strike by unleashing the 8.9-inch Nexus slate ahead of the industry leaders.

If O'Brien's sources are to be believed, the Nexus 9 will be picked up for distribution by UK telcos.

"An interesting new tidbit from my Nexus 9 source, a UK 'carrier launch' slated for 24th October," the dev tweeted on September 24.

Then the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus rivals will get unpacked as fresh reports have indicated that Google and Motorola will collaborate and produce two Nexus 6 models - a 5.2-inch and 5.9-inch variants. It is likely that both editions will hit the market on November 1.

The tech giant's three-punch approach makes sense as analysts forecast of an Apple juggernaut that will start with the iPhone 6 this September and to be sustained by the 2014 iPad refresh in the weeks or months ahead.

It's unthinkable that Google would allow Apple to zoom up without putting up a fierce resistance, according to market watchers.

And there's little doubt that the Android L-powered Nexus 6 smartphone and Nexus 9 tablet are the search giant's most solid bet to thwart Apple's efforts.

So the countdown clock starts ticking on October 16, en route to the spread out release dates for the Android L and Nexus 9, likely culminating at around Halloween 2014 with the Moto X-patterned Nexus 6 or X.