IBM 726

IBM 726 was the first commercial tape drive for storing digital data on magnetic tape. It was presented on 21 May 1952 as a peripheral for the IBM computer IBM 701.

With the 726 larger amounts of data than with the drum store available until then could be saved. The tape drive has been able to read 7500 characters per second or store (initially composed of six bits of data groups IBM have not been as characters ( characters), but referred to as copy groups). The storage on the 1.25 cm wide and 720 m long tape was made in seven tracks; six of them each took on a bit, while the seventh was used for the parity bit. Composed of cellulose acetate and iron oxide-coated tape based on the technology of the time of conventional tapes. The capacity of a band was approximately 1.4 megabytes.

Essential role in the development was James A. Weidenhammer.