Today in 1959, IBM announced the IBM 1401 Data Processing System, comprising a variety of card and tape models with a range of core memory sizes, and configured for stand-alone use and peripheral service for larger computers.
Over 12,000 units were produced and many were leased or resold after they were replaced with newer technology. The 1401, which was delivered to almost every organization using punched card equipment, was withdrawn on February 8, 1971.
“It was a utilitarian device, but one that users had an irrational affection for,” wrote Paul E. Ceruzzi in A History of Modern Computing. IBM100:
There were several keys to the popularity of the 1401 system. It was one of the first computers to run completely on transistors—not vacuum tubes—and that made it smaller and more durable. It rented for US$2500 per month, and was touted as the first affordable general-purpose computer. It was also the easiest machine to program at the time.
Thomas Haigh and Paul Cerruzzi in A New History of Modern Computing:
The 1401 was often found in university and scientific computer centers as a supplement to a larger computer, used to process input data onto magnetic tapes, print, and run simple jobs. At nearly every university computer center, someone figured out a sequence that would sound out the school’s fight song when sent to the printer.