Languished??  Hardly.  Just because they didn't completely replace standard-size incandescents doesn't mean they languished.  They were very common usage bulbs.  Still are, in fact.

And "superior" is subjective.  They were superior in energy efficiency, yes.  And sometimes in bulb life (although often times the much longer life advertised actually ended being not much different than an incandescent).  But they were also inferior in some ways, like color, and in full brightness lag time.  They were typically a poor choice for quick use applications like closets and hallways for that very reason.  

And of course inferior in initial purchase price (as you noted), which like it or not, is a significant determining factor for many consumers.  Especially for low-use applications.