No Nexus 10 2 Release Date? 3 Proofs Big Android Tab Rollout is Not Happening This 2014
Should we give up on hopes that the Nexus 10 2 release date is happening soon? Recent developments suggest that the stock Android tablet is heading to limbo, for good.
Since Google flagged in the second half of 2013 that a refresh of the 10-inch Nexus 10 was coming out soon, Android fans immediately got excited, watching every move from the Nexus maker to get clues on what make the second build would be and when is the actual debut time.
The specs and features were aplenty. Leaks and blog reports somehow pieced together a device that is worthy of giving the iPad Air a good fight. It was said that build number two of the Nexus 10 is slimmed down to match the Air's sexiness.
And the overall profile was light too but the power underneath is nothing short of superlative. Floated components include a quad-core Snapdragon 800 CPU that hums to a top-speed of 2.3GHz and this chip is tapped to 3GB of RAM for speedy performance.
An Adreno 330 GPU was also nominated as part of the deal to fire up its Retina-busting screen display resolution of 2560 x 1600. Then all the works were not missed out at all: LTE connectivity was given, 16GB and 32GB internal storage were also provided and a 5MP rear cam shooter (paired with a 2MP front cam) was dangled too as one of the main come-ons for would be Nexus 10 2 buyers.
Yet to date, there is no second Nexus 10 to snap up. Tech events from Q4 2013 to the Las Vegas CES in January 2014 came about and the tablet remains missing in action - an Android dream that seemingly is turning into a nightmare for fans frustrated by the unexplained delay and silence from Google.
This week, however, reports came out that the wait is over but not because the device is finally touching down. On the contrary, reality now bites and says there will be no Nexus 10 2 at all. And below are the proofs why the native Android slate will not come true anytime soon:
Nexus 8 turns Google's focus to 8-inch tablet class
Last week, reports spread out that Google is also making an 8-inch tablet form and it will be known as Nexus 8. The rationale is: the 7-inch Nexus 7 wasn't really giving Apple's iPad Mini a nice slug in a market that is seen to explode further.
So Google is trying to fill up a vacuum and the Nexus 8 is what the company sees as best solution available. But in pouring its attention to the Nexus 8 efforts, Google is reportedly concentrating on the device. In the process, the Nexus 7 and the Nexus 10 will have to give way - they will be retired soon.
If the plan is already in motion, then it makes no sense for Google to still work on the Nexus 10 second coming.
The Nexus brand is winding down
Russian blogger Eldur Murtazin recently tweeted Google is mulling the phase out of its Nexus hardware business. Murtazin claimed too that the move is set for completion on 2015 so any Nexus device that will come out in 2014 will be the last.
As mentioned above, if there is one Nexus that Android fans will be seeing this year, it will not be a third serving of the Nexus 7 nor a second Nexus 10 model. The likely candidate is Nexus 8.
And the compact tab could even come out as a Google Play Edition, meaning Google would solely rely on a still unknown OEM partner to put the device together then simply give the end-product with its Nexus-GPE imprints.
Motorola revival
Talks are also rife that Google is finally giving more love to its Motorola division. The mobile device maker was acquired by the tech giant for billions of dollars but until now the unit is yet to deliver, and this despite the critically acclaimed Moto X and the cheaper Moto G.
So by giving up on Nexus, eventually, Google is freed up and has more energy and resources to initiate some sort of a Motorola revival. The Google grand design could lead to the issuance of smartphones and tablets in Google Play Edition in the not-so-distant future, with Motorola, of course, as the preferred manufacturer.