so i got a new job, disappointed

And what good is the voice recognition on a Friday night out when you have to tell your drunk passengers to be quiet so you can use it? 

How much use is the factory installed remote start that has no more range than the factory keyless systems do, won't work from a high-rise apartment, most workplaces, a mall, etc., and won't work if the check engine light is on due to a downstream O2 sensor that the customer, living in a non-emissions testing area, doesn't give a damn about replacing?

Also...anyone here, a challenge for you. Name one factory system ever that can do idiotically loud SPL levels.  I've yet to ever hear one.

A Mark Levinson or Bose system is great for the driver who wants to hear every nuance of an Eric Johnson guitar solo or each individual instrument in a Handel concerto - however it's not going to be enough for the guy who's going to brag to his friends about how much his mirror shakes when the bass hits.  There are a ton of customers like that and none of them will ever be satisfied with a factory system.

There's business out there...you just have to know where to look for it.

Car manufacturers are always making it more difficult for aftermarket parts to fit.  I don't think they do it intentionally, but it happens.  Many higher end new cars (and some lower end) have fully integrated head units that can't easily be replaced.  Others have factory amplified systems that are costly to integrate with.  Then, there are things like the newer Infiniti Bose system - have you guys seen these things?  So much for the 'no highs, no lows must be Bose" saying!

I believe that is an OEM 10" speaker IN THE DOOR.  There is also a dedicated tweeter (may be a midrange, didn't look at it too close).  I have to admit, for a factory system this one sounded pretty good.  I can't imagine there would be many people willing to pay what it would cost to change this system.

While I had the door panel off I removed the speaker only to find it has no tradional magnet or basket.  There is NO Depth at all to mounting location.  The speaker looks like a dinner plate when you take it out!

It's already be said in this thread, but the future of people in this industry is going to be shops that do it all.  If you only do radios and alarms you probably won't last.  If you branch out to do mobile video, GPS, truck accessories, car accessories, heck maybe even wheels and tires you stand a much better chance of long term survival.  Where I'm at (Dayton, Ohio) the big box stores have killed the small shops.  Every so often a new ma and pa shop opens and lasts 2-3 years before going out of business.

It does have a magnet, just not a traditional magnet.

Like I said, for an OEM system it sounds great.  The head unit has a built in hard drive to rip music and the car has GPS from the factory.  As technology increases and things become cheaper you'll see systems like this in Honda Civics before much longer. 

Here is some more info about that OEM system:

The System

For OEM, I think that is a pretty impressive setup.

I haven't installed audio equipement for years.  I consider myself unbiased before anything else. 

I guess I was just really impressed with this car.