No, they could have said outright that they are implementing a software feature that will slow the device down but prevent sudden shutdowns. Users of affected devices could be alerted, indicating they should get their battery replaced. Apple would have done the consumer right and been praised for it.
Instead, they silently throttled devices even when the battery was well above the 80% "Healthy" threshold. Users who experienced poor performance were not advised of the reason for it and even if they asked for a new battery, Apple refused to replace it (even at the expense of the consumer). And it all only came to light because one kid figured it out, leading to battery replacement programs and so on.
I'm curious how many people bought a new iPhone because their existing one became slow (one of the most compelling reasons to upgrade). If I had to guess, I'd say that's why they didn't want to bring it to anyone's attention.
The problem with that is a phone shutting down a is far more effective way of making someone upgrade than a phone running slow.