"I think in this market, there are a lot of consumers looking for an excellent value. HP and Compaq in the past haven't done as good of a job at going down to those value price points."
Until now... only rival eMachines had been selling that low at retail among the big PC makers... .and has been gaining market share. The low end computers... may not have enough horsepower and graphics capabilities for hard core gamers... or for or for applications like digital video editing... .but for most home uses... they'll do fine. The 6300 US model will be sold under the Compaq Presario brand. Hewlett Packard has decided to keep both that brand... and the HP Pavilion line on store shelves... .sometimes side by side...
"We made the decision to use both brands to maximize selection. Really going for the multimedia oriented consumer on the HP Pavilion side and someone who is looking for a great productivity machine... good simple technology, the latest technology at an excellent price on the Compaq Presario side."
HP and other computer makers are hoping consumers will be willing to spend this holiday season to replace older PCs. Bloomberg Boot Camp, I'm Fred Fishkin.