The new version of Apple's Mac operating system has been previewed to developers.

OS X Snow Leopard is designed to work with multi-core processors and utilizes the power of modern graphic processing units (GPUs), according to the company.

The operating system has been designed to enable enhanced support for all forms of modern hardware using open computer language.

Apple claims this allows applications to utilize the computing power of GPUs which had been previously reserved for graphics applications.

Bertrand Serlet, Apple's senior vice president of software engineering, said that the company had aspired to perfect the "most advanced operating system" in the world.

"We have delivered more than a thousand new features to OS X in just seven years and Snow Leopard lays the foundation for thousands more," he added.

The new software follows Apple's recent updated iMac range with Intel Core 2 Duo processors.

Faster processors are combined with the most powerful graphics cards available on iMacs to create the "ultimate all-in-one desktop".