Here with the salient points:
The Wilcox-Gay Recordio was available nearly 50 years ago,
and could record either to tape or "hard disc." The
"discs" in question were not digital, but hard wax or
lacquer phonograph records.
During the late 1940's the Wilcox-Gay Corp. of
Charlotte, Michigan, manufactured the Recordio 1C10. This
was a unique device, part tape recorder and part disc
cutter. Originally intended for music students, it was
equally functional for touring pro musicians or in the
home.
Disc recorders of the day could only cut audio
directly to disc, but the Recordio allowed recording to
tape first, then a transfer to a 10-inch, 78 rpm record
blank. The tape could be erased and re-used, but it was
also possible to make and edit a tape recording before
committing it to wax, all inside one machine.
Advertising copy for the Wilcox-Gay Recordio hyped
the device as having "full-range, hi-fidelity
reproduction," although it most likely topped off at 5 to
7 kHz at best. To compare, the professional "broadcast
quality" RCA 73-B disc lathe had 10 kHz response. The ad
copy went on to boast a full hour of recording time on one
slow-moving five-inch reel. The Recordio could be used as
a phonograph or PA system, and could record from
microphone or telephone.
The icing on the cake was its transportability. The
27-pound unit could be taken anywhere.
(((bruces remarks: apparently there was also a coin-
driven public version, "the Wilcox-Gay Coin Recordio.")))