Microsoft will host its sold-out Windows 8 developer conference, known as Build, in California this week, with analysts suggesting the event could be a ‘make or break’ moment for the ubiquitous operating system.

"In 1995, Windows changed the PC,” the conference website reads. "Build will show you that Windows 8 changes everything.”

Despite the bold words, Microsoft is under pressure to deliver with its new OS, set to launch in less than a year. The Windows division performed poorly in Microsoft’s latest earnings report; the PC platform on which it has been so dominant is in decline, and competitors Apple and Google hold all the cards in the growth areas of smartphones and tablets.

If Windows 8 can’t convince the IT community that Microsoft can make the shift to mobile devices, the company will struggle to catch up with the current market leaders.

Go here to read the Windows 8 development blog, written by Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows division at Microsoft.

Do you think Microsoft has a shot at the mobile market? Post your comments below, and keep an eye out for updates on reactions to the Build conference.