Microsoft has made a sizable dent in the business market with its mobile devices, but its track record with consumers has been more of a scratch. Has Apple’s late and much-hyped entry into the mobile market served as a wake up call, perhaps? At Microsoft’s analyst day last week, a number of executives flagged up the company’s mobile ambitions (courtesy of Eric Savitz, who blogged on the event for Barron’s):

SEE ALSO: MSFT Analyst Day: Execs Talk Online Advertising; Entertainment; M&A

CEO Steve Ballmer said Windows Mobile was one of the seven key areas that Microsoft believes will bring $500 million gross margin growth over the next seven years. Other “new business” areas included online advertising and Xbox, but Ballmer didn’t break out how much any single division would bring in.

Robbie Bach, president, Entertainment and Devices Division, said that Windows Mobile is continuing its march on the business market. He projected over 20 million Windows-enabled devices this year and said Microsoft currently has the lead on RIM in handset sales. On the consumer side, there is still work to do, though. Bach said the company wants to release more “iconic” devices—it currently has 140 in the market (both business and consumer)—and ramp up its marketing efforts. He says the aim is for people to ask for Windows-enabled devices by name—a mobile branding coup perfected by Apple in relatively quick time (no pun intended) but not yet achieved by Gates & Co.

But even as Microsoft tries to repeat the iPhone bang, it will spread its bucks elsewhere. Bill Gates, chairman, said the company will keep pursuing opportunities to put its mobile software into other kinds of devices—a recent R&D day gave some hints into what this might mean. Ultimately, it may the land-grab for new wireless opportunities that will give Microsoft a longer shelf life in the mobile space.