After having changed the PC market dynamics in the US with its sub-$1,000 machines some years ago, Compaq India is now aiming to become the biggest home PC brand in the country.

The Presario 4010, however, is only the first salvo, with market segmentation being the operative phrase. According to company director (consumer division) Ravi Swaminathan, Compaq will have an answer to every player (read assembler) in every niche with a variety of configurations tailored for each segment.

Compaq director for marketing services N Bringi Dev was more circumspect in saying that the company wasn't looking for a price war. "Compaq has always been the price leader,"he quipped.

With a 15 per cent mark-up that Compaq figures most Indian buyers would be willing to pay, the company wants to go beyond being the country's No. 1 MNC brand for PCs.

With 60 per cent of Indian home PC buyers in the sub-$1,000 slot, Compaq feels it has increased its addressable market to 70 per cent. For the rest of the Asia-Pacific region only 30 per cent of the market falls in the sub-$1,000 segment.

According to Compaq India managing director Som Mittal, the company is not overly worried about other players getting into the same act since the Presario 4010 is currently the only PC designed "ground-up" for the home segment.

Also, the company is flashing the fact that the machine is no cheapo box hammered together for the price-sensitive Indian market but a world-class "no compromise" job designed at its International Design Centre in Singapore for the Asia-Pacific market where it will be launched in the near future.

Boasting features like a 4.3 GB hard disk, a 15-inch digital colourmonitor, and goodies like JBL Pro-powered speakers with Aureal A3D surround sound, the machine has a user-friendly keyboard with one-touch facility for the internet, e-mail, etc. The base model with the 366 MHz Intel Celeron chip comes without a modem although the company provides another version with a 56 kbps modem for Rs 48,600. Software bundled with the Presario 4010 includes Windows 98, Word and antivirus software.Compaq has a tie-up with Countrywide for finance and has focussed itself on its retail network with exclusive Compaq showrooms to give prospective buyers a feel of how they would feel at home with a PC. The company currently has 65 outlets with channel partners in 32 cities across the country.