Microsoft faces not only its 40th anniversary in 2015, but a host of challenges that will define it for years to come, analysts said today.

The company, which is in the midst of a strategic do-over after switching CEOs and admitting that its earlier approach to the explosion of mobile wasn’t working, has a hard row to hoe, experts said.

“Next year is also the 20th anniversary of Windows 95,” noted Wes Miller of Directions on Microsoft. “Remember that? People stood in line to get Windows 95. Everyone was excited. That’s the big deal for 2015, whether Microsoft can reinvigorate the consumer ecosystem.”

Mobile matters

Because “consumer” is now synonymous with mobile, and because Microsoft has thus far failed to make meaningful inroads into the mobile device market — its Windows Phone powered an estimated 3% of the smartphones shipped this year, while Windows tablets accounted for 5% of 2014’s total, said IDC — Microsoft’s reinvigoration will be difficult.

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