Dear_one wrote:
I don't find them very sweet, but they are a lot more like sandpaper on a windy day at the beach.
That sounds like the Red Delicious apple. Which is still around because it has a long shelf life and is easy to produce. It wouldn't be around if there were a quick way to change the varieties coming out of orchards. It takes years for an apple tree to produce. Which means that land is non-productive while you wait.
Just about anything else tastes better. Go to an orchard in season if you want the very best apples. Buying direct from the orchard can be very cheap if you don't count the cost of getting there.