[inforoots] The hard drive turns 50

[John C Green Jr]

SJ Mercury article dated yesterday is on their website:

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/business/15318980.htm

celebrating 50th anniversary of 13SEP1956 announcement of RAMAC
a little early.  It says in part:


     It cost about $50,000 a year to lease in 1956 dollars --
     equivalent to nearly $350,000 today -- and had 5 megabytes
     of information, about enough space to store one song on an
     iPod.

That sounds a little high.  Some time with Google got me to:

www.magneticdiskheritagecenter.org/MDHC/MILESTONE/Emerson%20Pugh%20talk.pdf

says it rented for $650 per month which is $7,800 per year.  If
memory serves IBM's multiplier of 7 times a year's lease price
gives an implicit list price of $54,600 or about a penny a byte.

Anybody know for sure?

Regards,
John Green