IBM 729 the tape reel. A 3/4 inch gap between records allowed the mechanism enough time to stop the tape. Initial tape speed was 75 inches per second (2.95 m/s) and recording density was 200 characters per inch, giving a transfer speed of 120 kbit/s. Later 729 models supported 556 and 800 characters/inch (transfer speed 480 kbit/s). At 200 characters per inch, a single 2400 foot tape could store the equivalent of some 50,000 punched cards (about 4,000,000 six-bit bytes, or 3 MByte). The 729 series was superseded by 9 track tape drives introduced with the IBM System/360. The IBM 729 I
IBM 729 was introduced for the IBM 709 and IBM 705 III computers, looked identical to the IBM 727, and used vacuum tubes. The main improvement was the use of a dual gap head permitting write verify. The IBM 729 II was introduced for the IBM 7000 series computers, introducing a new cabinet style and transistorized circuitry. Supported dual density (200, 556). High speed (112.5 in/s) single density (556). High speed (112.5 in/s) dual density (200, 556). High density (800). High speed (112.6 in/s) high density (800). Introduced September 1961. IBM 729 The IBM 729 Magnetic Tape Unit was IBM's iconic tape