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Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) said Windows President Steven Sinofsky is departing, while Julie Larson-Green will take charge of all software and hardware related to the flagship operating system, Blooomberg reported.

The changes are effective immediately, the world's largest software maker said yesterday in a statement.

The company had grown concerned over Sinofsky's ability to get along with other executives, including Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer, a person with knowledge of the matter said. Fresh on the heels of the release of the latest version of Windows, Ballmer is putting in place a new team to start planning the next upgrade, this person said. He's using new products and management shifts to help Microsoft withstand pressure from Apple Inc. and other mobile device makers that are winning over consumers and businesses.

"It is a little surprising to see a departure of someone at this level in charge of so many products with such immediacy, with no transition period," Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at Gartner Inc., said. "Microsoft is going to enter another period of management transition."

Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft fell 2.1 percent to $28.22 at yesterday's close in New York. The stock has climbed 8.7 percent this year.

A 23-year Microsoft veteran, Sinofsky is departing less than a month after the release of Windows 8, the latest version of the computer operating system, and Surface, the company's first foray into the tablet hardware market. The timing of his move is unrelated to the quality of the products or their reception in the market, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private.