Surface chief Panos Panay is now leading both hardware and Windows

It's reorg time at Microsoft again, and the changes this time are happening under Experiences and Devices, which is led by Rajesh Jha. Jha is still in charge of his division, but what's changing is Windows. Windows Experience and hardware are being bundled into one unit, and Chief Product Officer and Surface lead Panos Panay will be the head of it. According to ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley, the change will take place on February 25.

Currently, the Windows Experience unit is led by CVP Joe Belfiore, and that's been the case since almost two years ago when it was announced that Terry Myerson was stepping down. Belfiore will be moving to the Office Experience Group.

According to the report, Panay was thinking about making a move late last year. It's possible that part of the reason for the promotion was to keep him on-board. Indeed, Panay certainly seems "pumped", based on this excerpt from his internal email:

"Personally I'm very excited to lead the Windows Client for Microsoft, which will help us streamline our decision-making processes, be clear on our priorities, and deliver the best end user experiences from silicon through operating systems across all Microsoft apps and service connected devices (OEMs and Surface). We believe this will make the Windows Client experience better for the entire PC ecosystem. Designing hardware and software together will enable us to do a better job on our long term Windows bets (dual screen, silicon diversity, connectivity, app platform, etc.) and having a single point of Windows Client Experience leadership driving consistent priorities and resourcing across all of Windows client will help all of us accelerate innovation and improve execution. This is such an amazing time and opportunity to bring more energy to Windows and our customers using Windows. It won't be easy, but extending our growth will be key for our company strategy."

What will be more interesting is hearing what Microsoft's partners have to say about combining Windows software and hardware into one unit. The Redmond firm's Surface hardware unit continues to grow, and it's becoming more and more of a competitor to the partners that make their own Windows hardware.