For business use, based on Nexus2238's list I would say the Thinkpad T430U fits the bill.. It does have all the requirements you listed plus the unique 'Thinkpad' image that can portray an excellent corporate image.. Do check if you need a direct VGA connection to your office's old monitor.. Some ultrabooks (or mostly) may not have it and you would need to get some converter ready when you need one.

What is your concern here actually? R u worried about the reliability of win 8? Or worried about missing all the upcoming cool tablet cum laptop kind of products? If it is the earlier, the I supposed u can buy the laptop with win 7 as it is now, and upgrade to win 8 when it matures along the way. FYI: u are entitled to upgrade to win 8 for a fees of abt RM50 via windowsupgradeoffer if u buy a win7 lappy (except w7 starter) between now and sometime early next year.. After all, either w7 or w8, their hardware spec r mostly the same..

If u r worried abt the later, then well sit tight and watch this space, lots of companies are announcing their new win8 products these time!

haha..catching up with gadget is one hell of a tough job.. buy now or buy later will still make you feel regret over the time..

off my head I know there is a Lenovo G780 (i5-3210M) which may best match your price expectation for a 17", or the MSI CX70 (i7, close to 3K)..

there was a ultrabook sales at 1U(PJ) yesterday, Acer S5(i5) was only RM2199 and Dell XPS13(i5) was RM2599... splendid!