Apple may be close to developing a Wi-Fi enabled iPod as a new patent application submitted recently by the company indicates it is developing a way for devices to talk to each other through a wireless network.

First reported by Macsimum News on Thursday, the patent sounds quite similar to what Microsoft is already doing with the Zune. There has been much speculation about the release of a Wi-Fi enabled device, however none have surfaced as of yet.

While Apple's iPhone does include Wi-Fi, it still must connect directly with its host computer to download songs, update data, and so forth.

While mobile devices can do this already, "it is advantageous to exchange (send and/or receive) media or other types of data with other electronic devices in a wireless manner," Apple claims in its application.

It should be mentioned that Apple has already filed for several patents surrounding Wi-Fi technology in iPod-like devices, so this application could be just the latest in a series of them, and not necessarily an indication that such a device is imminent.

However, last year Apple filed for several patents that ultimately pointed to the release of the iPhone.