Apple 30 pin cable NOT compatible with iPod Nano 3rd gen

Hi Community

My wife has an (old) iPod Nano 3rd gen that she is very fond of, as it was a gift from me back in the days :). We have a couple of charger cables, but they are all a bit weary, so she decided to get a new one.

Now, the cable used for charging is a standard Apple 30 pin USB cable, similar to this one:

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MA591G/C/apple-30-pin-to-usb-cable

... or so I thought! It turns out that cable is only compatible with iPod Nano 4th gen or newer, as can also be seen in the "Compatibility" list. The cables look identical, but it seems the new cable is about 1/100 of an inch too wide, and it simply wont fit!

The old cable fits fine in my (old) iPhone 4S, as does the new cables, so the old cables are obviously forward compatible.

• So - does anybody know WHAT the difference is, and why there is a difference?
• And more importantly, does anybody know any (preferably official) site where it is possible to buy original 30 pin cables compatible with iPod Nano 3rd gen - or a way to modify the new cable design to fit the old iPod connector?

Kind regards,

Erik ***

Denmark

[Personal Information Edited by Host]