APPLE Computer's board of directors is believed to be weighing two offers for the company. One of them is presumed to be Sun Microsystems, industry sources said.

It was not clear what other company has made an offer to buy the troubled computer maker, but both offers are in the range of $22-$23 (£14.50) a share, said sources familiar with Apple.

The sources said that Apple's board has had meetings for the past few days, ever since Mr Gil Amelio took over as CEO. This weekend, Mr Amelio started exploring the sale of the firm.

Mr Amelio - who was hired last Friday to replace chief executive Mr Michael Spindler - talked over the weekend with several firms, including Sun Microsystems, which was recently rebuffed by Apple when it offered a share.

Apple, which employs 1,500 people in Cork, is believed to have contacted Motorola and Sony Corp this weekend about a possible deal, but it was not clear whether those companies were interested.