如何恢复微软的魔力？

    在这个由谷歌(Google)和复兴的苹果公司(Apple) 引领风潮的时代，微软(Microsoft)首席执行官萨蒂亚•纳德拉正在尝试着重启这家公司。他的待办事项肯定满满当当：几乎所有的微软产品都受到挑战，或者落后于竞争对手。

    纳德拉应该做什么，一直是业界观察家热议的主题。上周四，他宣布了一项裁员18,000人的公司瘦身计划，这是他上任后的首个大动作。尽管这一举动的波及面不可谓不大（它将是微软有史以来规模最大的裁员行动），但纳德拉一直含糊其辞，不愿明确透露这家科技巨头究竟将走向何方。

    上周，纳德拉发布了一份3,000字的使命宣言。在这份宣言中，他向全体员工陈述了一件显而易见的事情：微软需要更多的紧迫感和创新。随后，在科罗拉多州阿斯彭召开的《财富》科技头脑风暴大会(Fortune’s Brainstorm Tech) 上，纳德拉同样令人难以捉摸。他着重强调这家公司的巨大潜力，但问题是，这位微软掌门人并没有勾勒他打算如何实现这种潜能。

    从渐进到激进，分析师给微软开了很多处方。几乎所有人都同意，重振一家庞大如微软的公司需要时间，如果这项复兴大业有望完成的话。

    “对于一家规模如此巨大，对消费者做出如此多承诺的公司来说，哪怕轻微地转身，也是一件极其困难的事情，”Reticle Research研究公司独立分析师罗斯•鲁宾说。

    没错，凭借Windows电脑操作系统和Office办公套装软件，微软曾经是高科技产业的王者。但面对日新月异的世界，微软显得老态龙钟，变化缓慢。如今的微软已处于劣势，因为它没有预料到消费者会如此迅速地放弃台式电脑，转而使用移动设备。现在，它开始奋力追赶。

    这家公司仍然是一个庞然大物，本财年头九个月创下了高达635亿美元的销售额。同期利润也令人印象深刻，达175亿美元，但仅比去年同期上涨了3%。

    作为微软立身之本的软件业务正面临谷歌和苹果的强力狙击——这两家公司的软件版本基本上是免费赠送。对于微软来说，在这样的环境下竞争，至少从长远来看，如果它未能作出重大改变，败局已定。

    今年早些时候，在苹果iPad风行世界多年之后，微软终于发布了面向这款平板电脑的Office软件。业界普遍认为，这种延误已经让微软损失了大量潜在的销售良机，无异于把这一市场拱手让与他人。到目前为止，人们早已习惯使用没有安装Office软件的平板电脑，现在可能看不出花钱购买这款软件的理由。

    “微软独家提供的软件跟许多其他的免费选项究竟有何区别？”Jackdaw Research公司独立分析师贾恩•道森说。

    Satya Nadella, Microsoft’s chief executive, has his hands full trying to reboot his company in the age of Google and a resurgent Apple. Nearly all of its products are under attack or trailing the competition.

    What Nadella should do has been the subject of great debate among industry watchers. On Thursday, he took his first major step by announcing plans to cut 18,000 jobs to help streamline the company. Despite the scope of the move—it would be Microsoft’s largest-ever wave of layoffs—Nadella has been vague about what may be in store for the technology giant.

    Last week, he released a 3,000-word mission statement to employees in which he stated the obvious: that Microsoft MSFT 1.02% needs more urgency and innovation. He followed it up with an equally elusive appearance at Fortune’s Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen, Colo. during which he emphasized the huge potential of his company. One problem: Nadella did not outline how he planned to achieve it.

    Analysts have a number of ideas for Microsoft, from incremental to radical. Nearly all agree that reinvigorating a company as big as Microsoft will take time, if it can be done at all.

    “It’s very difficult for a company of that size and that many commitments to customers to turn on a dime,” said Ross Rubin, an independent analyst with Reticle Research.

    Microsoft, of course, once dominated the technology industry with its Windows computer operating system and Office productivity software suite. But the world quickly changed, and Microsoft was slow to change with it. Today, Microsoft’s position is weak because it failed to anticipate the shift by consumers from desktop computers to mobile devices early enough. Now, it’s scrambling to catch up.

    The company remains a behemoth with $63.5 billion in sales during the first nine months of this fiscal year. Profits during that period reached an impressive $17.5 billion, but they gained only 3% from a year earlier.

    Microsoft’s software business, the company’s cornerstone, is facing a difficult fight with rivals like Google GOOG -1.53% and Apple AAPL -1.78% essentially giving their versions away for free. For Microsoft, competing in such an environment, at least in the long term, is a losing battle if it fails to make major changes.

    Earlier this year, Microsoft released a version of Office for Apple’s iPad, years after the tablet had become a blockbuster seller. The delay is believed to have costMicrosoft a large number of potential sales and left the market wide open for others to fill. So far, people have managed just fine without Office on their tablets and may now see little reason to spend money on it.

    “What does Microsoft uniquely provide that is differentiated from other options, many of which are free?” asked Jan Dawson, an independent analyst with Jackdaw Research.