Apple was busy overnight making a few very welcome changes to the App Store interface for the iPad. In addition to new search filters, users can now see which apps have been purchased previously but aren’t currently installed on your device.

MacStories.net is reporting on a couple of significant changes to the App Store for the iPad overnight which will make shopping for apps (and seeing which ones you already own) much easier than before.

First up is a new search filter feature, which is available whenever you type into the search field. You’ll now see five filters pop up under the search filed, allowing you to sort your search by Category, Release Date, Customer Rating, Price, Device (iPad, iPhone or All) and finally, a Reset Filters button to clear any selections you’ve made. Tapping on one of the search filters brings up a popover from where you can make available selections.

Perhaps even more useful to those of us who purchase a lot of apps only to later delete them, the iPad App Store now shows an “Install” button next to items that you have purchased but which are not currently installed on the device, instead of the usual Free or purchase button (depending on which app you’re looking at).

“Sure, it’s not as useful as the ‘Purchases’ tab in the Mac App Store (which lets you see all your app purchase history at once), but we think this is a great (and much needed) first step nonetheless,” MacStories reports. “The new feature is only enabled on the iPad App Store right now, but it shouldn’t be a problem for Apple to add it to the iPhone and iPod touch as well (unlike filters, which require some screen space).”

It’s certainly nice to get little surprises like this without the need for iOS updates, so check ‘em out on your iPad and get shopping!

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(Image courtesy of MacStories)