Recently-posted videos of Mac OS X Snow Leopard have been pulled from YouTube, new investigation shows. Of these, several are known to have been removed by the uploader -- LeopardOctober -- while a single clip has been blocked through a copyright claim by Apple. The latter may effectively confirm the videos' legitimacy, as Apple typically avoids making legal claims on leaked media unless some element of truth is found to exist.

More such images and videos have appeared at a French website however, allegedly exposing the look and features of Apple's next operating system. The software should for instance support native screen recording through QuickTime X, which hides itself during the recording process to provide an unobstructed view. Completed clips can be exported into different sizes and formats, such as ones for iPhones, iPods and the Apple TV.

Snow Leopard is also said to include a new interface for universal, customizable keyboard shortcuts, as well as an updated Image Capture utility, resembling a mix between Finder and iTunes. Security options have meanwhile been simplified, likely as a means of encouraging broader use.

New videos purport to show some previously-acknowledged features, such as Chinese handwriting recognition and built-in sliders for resizing icons. The OS is currently available only as a developer beta, but is expected to go public sometime this summer.