I really doubt there would be a major backlash if a company like Apple said "Due to <nonsense manufacturing related excuse>, we are able to offer the new iPhone

I really doubt there would be a major backlash if a company like Apple said "Due to <nonsense manufacturing related excuse>, we are able to offer the new iPhone for $XXX dollars less than we expected!" Consumers rarely complain about lower prices than they expect. Hell, tons of companies offer their products at an MSRP that drops massively within weeks.