Wouldn't you know it? We mentioned whispers of gigantic fault-tolerant enterprise Mac server hardware just a couple of days ago, and hot on the heels of that fun little subject comes yet another rumor of Apple's imminent Mac OS X-inspired leap into the world of big business computing. This time around, Think Secret claims that Apple is hard at work not only on the "big iron" servers with redundant power supplies and hot-swappable drives first mentioned at Mac OS Rumors, but also on Macs that firmly embrace a different aspect of IT department geekdom: the rack mount.

For the uninitiated, rack-mounting involves, well, mounting something in a rack. 19-inch racks are standard in server rooms around the world, and several business-class servers are available in special enclosures built to screw right into such a rack, thus preventing the need to stack a slew of "regular" computers on a desk somewhere. Rack-mounting Macs, however, has long been a slightly sketchier practice, requiring expensive add-ons and a bit of effort. It's possible, but it's not always a pretty solution.

Take Marathon Computer's iRack, for example: a "wafer thin" enclosure that totally replaces the translucent goodness of the iMac with an industrial-style 19-inch rack-mount. Yes, in addition to shelling out $399 for the enclosure itself, you then still have to steel yourself and perform an iMac guts transplant. Still, for people who needed it, the option was there. (Rack-mounting a G4 is lots easier, but it's still not the most elegant solution from a design perspective.) If Apple really wants to break into the enterprise market, a ready-to-go rack-mountable Mac server is a must.

Since Mac OS X provides a server platform with enterprise-level "oomph," it's nice to hear that Apple is looking at supplying out-of-the-box hardware to match-- but given that rack-mounted systems are typically hidden away from sight, we can't help but wonder just what Apple's industrial design department will come up with for a rack-mount enclosure. Will the lack of visibility deter them from designing something gorgeous for this project allegedly code-named "Thing 2"? Probably not. For comparison purposes, it may be worth nothing that Dell's rack-mount servers are basically slate-grey boxes with waffle vents; it's not hard to beat that. We bet those corporate IT guys would just love a Flower Power rackMac in a big way-- it'd be just the thing to dress up a boring beige network operations center. Right?