Has Apple solved the problem of new iPods not charging on old Bose docks? New ipod classic (purchased 2-25-12 from Target) DOES charge on our OLD Bose dock (pleasant surprise) whereas ipods purchased 1-2 years ago do not.  I am vaguely aware that the non-charging situation was deliberate by Apple (something about the pins) to avoid the possibility of the old Bose dock "zapping" the ipod (pardon my lack of correct tech lingo).  We even bought a new Bose dock to solve the problem, but kept the old one too.  Now, my daughters brand new ipod classic charges in the OLD dock!  Has anyone else experienced this and/or know what is going on? Thanks!
The difference you're referring to is the ability to charge over the FireWire pins, which Apple removed from most iPods/iPhones several years ago.

However, as you've discovered, iPod Classics are still able to charge via FireWire. I expect this functionality could be removed at any revision, but for now, consider yourself lucky ;)