No, MS will not offer a physical disc, but if one has a slow/iffy internet connection, best to download the iso and take it from there, rather than risk a botched installation. For that matter, perhaps he could download it from a friend's faster connection and then burn it to media.
MS have said that for upgrades from 8 to 8.1, there won't be ISOs which "consumers" can download for free; unlike the Preview, the final version of the upgrade will only be via the Windows Store.
They will sell you a full installer version if you're upgrading from Windows 7 or to install as a system builder, which presumably will be an ISO download or on a DVD, but that will cost you.