<s>
The	O
IBM	B-Device
726	I-Device
was	O
IBM	O
's	O
first	O
magnetic	B-Architecture
tape	I-Architecture
unit	I-Architecture
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
a	O
dual	O
magnetic	O
tape	O
reader/recorder	O
developed	O
for	O
use	O
with	O
the	O
IBM	B-Device
701	I-Device
and	O
announced	O
on	O
May	O
21	O
,	O
1952	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
model	O
of	O
tape	O
unit	O
was	O
shipped	O
with	O
the	O
IBM	B-Device
701	I-Device
from	O
December	O
20	O
,	O
1952	O
until	O
February	O
28	O
,	O
1955	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
later	O
IBM	B-Device
7	I-Device
track	I-Device
drives	O
,	O
the	O
726	O
could	O
read	O
backwards	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
forwards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
tape	O
had	O
seven	B-Device
parallel	I-Device
tracks	I-Device
,	O
six	O
for	O
data	O
(	O
called	O
a	O
copy	O
group	O
,	O
not	O
a	O
character	O
)	O
and	O
one	O
to	O
maintain	O
parity	B-Error_Name
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
726	O
concurrently	O
handled	O
two	O
reels	O
of	O
tape	O
,	O
and	O
there	O
were	O
two	O
726	O
units	O
in	O
an	O
IBM	B-Device
701	I-Device
system	O
.	O
</s>
