As the name suggests, Lenovo's ThinkPad X1 Carbon uses carbon fiber to deliver a strong-but-light notebook frame that's 3.73 pounds. It delivers a 14-inch screen with a resolution of 1600 x 900 and a new glass-based touchpad and backlit keyboard. Unlike other Ultrabooks, you can fold the lid on the X1 Carbon flat on its back (why you'd want to is a question for another day).

The least expensive of the X1's configurations (a whopping $1,399) features  a third generation Intel Core i5 CPU, Intel's integrated HD 4000 graphics and 128GB SSD. Pay $1,499 and you'll upgrade to a Core i5-3427U CPU with a 3G antenna. At $1,649 you'll get a larger, 256GB SSD. And for those deep-pocketed one percenters, the $1,849 delivers both the 256GB SSD with a Core i7 processor.