One of our core product goals at Katmai is simple: Katmai should work well for as many people, machines and working environments as possible.
Not everyone has the same computer. Not everyone has the same Wi-Fi. Sometimes you’re plugged into a powerful workstation. Sometimes you’re on an older laptop, running ten other applications, trying to preserve battery life.
There shouldn't be one Katmai experience that assumes everyone has the same resources.
That's why we've been investing heavily in graphics modes.
Find your sweet spot
Most Katmai users are running Balanced, because that's our default. But we now offer a much wider performance spectrum:
Enhanced - Highest visual fidelity
Balanced - Our default balance of quality and performance ↓ ~30% less GPU usage
Efficient - Lower demand on your machine ↓ ~15% less GPU usage
HyperLite - Our lightest live graphics mode yet ↓ ~15% less GPU usage
Those results come from our initial controlled testing on the same machine and scenario across each graphics mode. We're continuing to test across a much wider range of hardware.
The important part isn't any one number. It's the progression.
Each mode gives you another way to match Katmai to the machine and environment you're working in.
HyperLite is the latest step. Not the last.
HyperLite dramatically reduces the graphics demand of Katmai compared with Efficient while keeping you inside the live Katmai experience.
For someone on a less powerful machine, or simply someone who wants Katmai consuming fewer resources, that can make a meaningful difference.
And we're already working on the next step: Basic Mode.
Basic will push this philosophy even further, helping us extend Katmai to an even wider range of machines and circumstances.
Try the modes
If you've simply been using Balanced because that's where Katmai started you, try the others.
Move up to Enhanced when you want maximum visual quality. Move down to Efficient or HyperLite when performance, system resources, battery life or your particular machine matter more.
Find the sweet spot that works for you.
That's increasingly how we think about accessibility at Katmai: not forcing every computer to run the same experience, but giving more people the right Katmai experience for the machine they have.
Katmai for all.
Book a demo and join me in our Katmai headquarters. I'll walk you through the product, what's shipping next, and we'd love your feedback on where we should go from here.
Dan
Chief Product Officer, Katmai