>Seems to follow that apple varieties ended up lost to the dustbin of history because they didn't taste very good?

Nope. Cider varieties fell out of favor because cider fell out of favor, and most don't taste very good for eating. But heritage eating apples fell out of favor because they do not ship well, or don't grow well in synthetically fertilized dirt, or due to marketing. Most heritage varieties of eating apples taste WAY better than bland crap like honeycrisp. Red delicious were the most produced apple for many years even though basically nobody likes them. Because they look very appealing, and they are very durable so they can be handled roughly and shipped all over. Try a Cox's Orange Pippin and you'll never be able to eat grocery store apples again.