apparently it was too complicated for most people to understand.
Which is so silly if it is true because - spell crafting is an optional part of the game. You can play as a warrior or sneak and you would never have to use it. With the current pregenerated spells you wouldn't need to use it if you didn't want to. Even in games with it I never felt I had to utilyse it unless I wanted - in a Morrowind playthrough as a spellsword merc character I used nothing but the spells I could buy because that fit the character.
Saying "Spell crafting was cut to dumb down the game for consoles" makes no sense in that sense. How does removing an option which in no way had to be used simplify anything (except for game creators) - you deny it to the people who want it, a negative, and the people who wouldn't have wanted to use it wouldn't had to have use it anyway so it being there or not changes there experience not at all - unless they might have one day said "maybe I'll try that"... so it takes away something some people want and gives/takes nothing from the people who wouldn't want to use it.
Same with the spells cut - some of them are the spells that make the game easier. Removing spells that make the game easier is dumbing down...?
Personally I can understand it for levitation. It was a fun spell in the past but in this game I have had dragons get confused by the terrain I am on. Coding them to have acceptable AI against grounded targets
and airborne ones adds a whole lot more work. Plus you'd need graphics for it, finishers etc. One little spell could have increased things that needed to be developed for the game by a not inconsiderable amount.