Unpredictable. Unfocused. Just like life.

I've held the title of Product Manager several times. Virtually ever product manager likes to tell you about the features of their product.

I don't.

That's because I don't think that customers give a damn about features. They care about how the product makes their lives better, or how it benefits them. Think of it this way - a 20 GB iPod (that's a feature)lets me listen to something like 5000 songs (that's a benefit). Flat panel TVs are a perfect example of this. Just show me anyone that can tell the difference between 720p and 1080p when they are looking at a TV. They look for a better picture.

Most product managers assume that a feature equals a benefit, though customers don't always see it that way. So it's always a good idea to think like a customer.

That's why it's embarrassing when a feature you think is great turns out to be meaningless for the customer.

It turns out that the biggest feature of Microsoft's Zune audio player - music sharing - doesn't work for all songs. In fact, it seems that only a bit more than half of your songs are shareable, and that is determined by the record companies, even if you paid for the songs.

Zune owners seem unfazed by this:

Some is better than none. As underwhelming as the 58% is, I need to remind myself... that figure is still 58% higher than would have been possible on any of today's iPods. This is a groundbreaking music sharing approach, and it will only get better from here.

But the fact is that the promised featuredoesn't provide the anticipated benefit. False comparison to an iPod, that never promised the feature anyway, means little.

The moral of the story? It you're hyping some feature, then make sure it means something to your customer. And definitely make sure it really does what you say it does. All the time. No weasel words.