[gionn]

“The kernel cache doesn’t contain any user info, and by unencrypting it we’re able to optimize the operating system’s performance without compromising security,”

This is probably the only true part of the article, it means that they disabled a kernel feature of cache encryption to speed-up performances.

It has nothing to do with source code nor binaries of the kernel.

[spiderfarmer]

Does the same count for the watchOS kernel? I mean, the performance enhancements they claim to have realized have to come from somewhere.

[djrogers]

> the performance enhancements they claim to have realized have to come from somewhere

Even in the first beta, the performance enhancements are real. Numerous Apple folks, including Craig Federighi, have said that with WatchOS1 and 2 they 'overshot' how conservative they needed to be with RAM and CPU (out of respect for battery life), and with WatchOS 3 they have rebalanced that.

Time will tell how much of a hit battery life will take from this, but for a beta things look good so far.

[NEDM64]

This, and they also realized they had leftover RAM.

[gionn]

by disabling encryption as said?