In 'older' code in our system it seemed necessary to use a <select> element at all times when invoking and binding to a kendo ComboBox. Now, we note that there is less variance between using an <input> element and the performance appears to be identical.
I notice that in the dojo, if there exists a fixed set of options and no dataSource, <select> is used and then the element is just initialized as kendoComboBox. On the other hand, any time a dataSource is provided, whether locally or remotely, the dojo uses the <input> element.
When viewed in the source, there seems to be little variance except for the <select>/<input> shown after the k-dropdown-wrap. Both of which are hidden from display anyways.
Do you have any 'input' on this?