As we all wait to see what Apple will unveil in San Francisco at 10am PST Wednesday, there’s some interesting data just released which shows that most consumers don’t care as much about a second-generation iPad as they do just spending less money on an existing one.

All Things Digital’s MediaMemo is reporting that despite the lure of new features on a souped-up iPad 2, most consumers just want the prices to come down so that they can justify purchasing one at all. While this should come as no surprise to cash-strapped Americans, the hard data comes from a new survey released by Boston Consulting Group.

“On average, Americans surveyed by BCG are willing to pay between $110 and $200 for a ‘multipurpose tablet,’” writes All Things Digital’s Peter Kafka. “Which of course is a whole lot lower than the $499 iPad entry point that Steve Jobs introduced last year, and some 15 million people have found those prices acceptable. So we’re not going to get there quite yet.”

While these apparent cheapskates are holding out for the price of entry to plummet, that’s not stopping them from expressing interest in buying soon -- a full third of respondents plan to buy some kind of tablet or e-reader within the next year, with more than half showing interest in buying within three years.

Ironically, Apple appears to have a price advantage here, with last year’s $499 base model price on the iPad still largely untouched by the competition, save for bottom-feeding Android-based tablets which offer a less satisfactory user experience. Will Apple be able to go even lower with the next-generation iPad expected to be introduced later today? Weigh in with your own thoughts in the comments!

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(Image courtesy of Silicon Alley Insider)