Yes, you read it right and yes, the idea does sound silly on the surface. Still Apple has pulled off even stranger reinvention stunts in the past, so, we have to at least give the newly uncovered patent the benefit of the doubt. The document in question outlines a "Point-to-point ad hoc voice communication", which, taking into consideration the diagrams as well, seems to boil down to using a short range communication technology, like Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to establish a voice link between individuals on a peer-to-peer basis. So, the walkie-talkie analogy is a perfect fit, but we can only...
Source: http://www.gsmarena.com/new_apple_patent_might_reinvent_the_walkietalkie-news-18430.php
