Is there any hint at why he wants to do this? Not putting out an ebook is just cutting out those customers who only buy ebooks (of which I'm one) which seems odd considering putting out an ebook is easier than paper.
Sure he can cut out any market he wants and will make plenty from paper books. Just seems odd for any author to limit their potential market. Unless he's just playing a sneaky PR game.
A no ebook announcement was bound to spread across various forums and perhaps some news sites which in turn gets the book mentioned all over the place without the advertising costs
I won't buy it as I'm ebook only. Whether I'll get it when the ebook finally arrives (if ever) depends on how many other books I've snapped up in the meantime.