Amazon Launches New Fire Tablets

Amazon.com Inc. introduced the new Fire tablets on Wednesday, the Fire 7 and the Fire HD. The Fire 7 now has a seven-inch display, longer battery life, and better wifi connectivity, the company said. It's priced at about $50. The Fire HD 8 has an eight-inch display, up to 12 hours of battery life and 16 GB of storage. It's priced at about $80. Both are equipped with Alexa, and both are available Wednesday for pre-order. They start shipping on June 7. Both are also available in a kids edition that includes a "kid-proof" blue case. As an introductory offer, customers who purchase any three Fire tablets will get 20% off. Amazon shares are down 1.1% in premarket trading, but up nearly 29% for the year so far. The S&P 500 index is up 7.2% for 2017 to date.