How many megabytes did the first commercial hard drive hold?

Technology hard Data from 1956

Guess before you scroll — the answer is below

Answer in megabytes. Shorthand like 9m or 1.2bn works.

The answer

5 megabytes

Roughly 5.

The IBM 305 RAMAC of 1956 held 5 MB — about one photo from a modern phone — across fifty 24-inch platters. It weighed over a tonne and was leased for roughly $3,200 a month.

Where this number comes from

Source IBM archives
Figure refers to 1956
Last checked
Unit megabytes

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