IBM 3740

IBM floppy data entry terminal (1973) IBM 3740 Data Entry System was a data entry system that was announced by IBM in 1973. It recorded data on an 8" diskette, a new recording medium from IBM, for fast, flexible, efficient data entry to either high-production, centralized operations or to decentralized, remote operations. The "Diskette" was more commonly known as an 8-inch floppy disk. It was succeeded in 1980 by the IBM 5280 which added full programmability. The term "IBM 3740" is sometimes used metonymically to refer to the floppy disk recording format it introduced, which was the direct ancestor of the IBM PC floppy format which would become the industry standard in the 1980s and 1990s. History The system was announced in January, 1973; became available in the second quarter of that year; and was withdrawn from marketing in December, 1983. It was developed by IBM's General Systems Division facility in Rochester, Minnesota. The IBM 3740 system was intended to replace the traditional unit record equipment, using the IBM card. While the IBM 3671 holds the distinction of being the first IBM device that was announced with the new highly successful 8 inch "Igar" diskette drive that IB