Yeah, you need to do more research on hard ciders. They are easy to make, but they are not the same as beer. When you think of the commercial examples of hard ciders, you think of Strongbows and Woodchucks, etc., which are mostly "wet" ciders with lots of residual sweetness.
Your premade batch is going to end up more like a dry English cider. There isn't going to be much residual sweetness, if at all, and it will take a good bit of aging to even have a good apple flavor.
There is a cider forum on this board. Read up for your next batch. You can make a REALLY good batch of cider using apple juice from the grocery store for under $20.00 for 5 gallons.
Good luck!