Predicting that Apple's long-term fate will probably mirror that of some of the other technology giants - like Sony and Kodak - which initially peaked and then decelerated after the demise of the their dynamic leaders -, Forrester Research CEO George Colony said in a recent blog post that Apple "will decline in the post Steve Jobs era."

According to Colony, Apple will not be able to sustain its current growth momentum in the long run; and will, in the next 2-4 years, apparently become just a "good company", and no longer a "great company."

Colony said in the blog post that legendary Apple CEO Steve Jobs' death in October 2011 has left a big void, and added that if there is no "new charismatic leader" to take over the company's reins, Apple will witness a "step down in revenue growth and product innovation" in the coming years.

Citing the example of some of the other gigantic tech companies which faded after the demise of their enigmatic spearheads, Colony predicted that Apple will also probably go the way of onetime industry leaders like Sony and Kodak after their iconic leaders died, or even Disney in the two decades following the death of Walt Disney.

Expressing the opinion that the demise of a powerful leader shifts a company to a more bureaucratic leader - a move which generally fails to work -, Colony cited sociologist Max Weber to point out that "charismatic organizations are run by people with 'the gift of grace'."