I guess we'll find out by the Next Election? - lol. I'm surprised no one's come here yet and made a "Sasshi Joke". We should change "Die" to 'Evolve' - that would be more Accurate. Remember it's AKB - Anything Can Happen!!!
The way I see it, AKB could go either of two ways - In the first way, it would be like Morning Musume - a long standing "idol tradition" that would have a Golden Age (probably pre-Acchan graduation), an OK age, and then a struggling age of new comers trying to make a foothold, where anniversaries / commemerative units and flashbacks became a part / norm of the group. (Not trying to start a flame war w/ Momusu fans here - it just seems like they had a bigger media presence in the past.) In the second way, I see AKB becoming like a Takarazuka the large music catalogue and focus on stage shows and a long standing "training tradition" where any female who wants to become a member in the entertainment industry would have to take a period of 3-7 years training via AKB, where each of the teams A/K/B/4(?) become immortalized as being THE "path" to tarento, singer, or actress - similar to the way Star, Moon and Flower are responsible for moulding certain types of stars. I guess in this "version" the team system would be a lot more fixed with the shuffles that AKB concerts are famous for being rarer for members. Members would start and finish AKB much younger - Sort of a Juliard meets Todai for female stars. I guess a third way would be for them to become a female Exile / Arashi (?) where the group remains popular with cycling members system.
When they are out of innovation (like fresh members in senbatsu, atypical idol-like songs...) I can imagine AKB48 end up like Morning Musume...
When Takamina graduates, together with the veteran senbatsu members without proper successors... OR If the more talented members are replaced by new ones solely because of their "cuteness" in the senbatsu, AKB's senbatsu will be a lip-syncing cosplayer group... a lot of emerging members included in the senbatsu still needs A LOT of training >.< they need to work hard just like what their senpais did before them...
Being realistic, I give them 1-2 more years to still being featured in the media as much (maybe a lil' less) than now; the project might be alive a bit longer, but maybe in the level most of H!P are. Which means, just having one-two members actually recongnized by the general public, recalling mostly the previous era members and sticking to sing more their hit songs rather than newer material. Currently, the group is relying on faces of sisters groups too much instead giving more chances to those who are completely part of AKB48; with that helping to keep the sales on point and to the others' promotion, it's making lose their original escence to the main group, the starting point is becoming obsolete (and honestly, it's almost a complete fact that most people - unless fans - can see too much difference is what makes each group different: they only see '48', many girls = might be the same). AKB48 can stick a lot of time if the management wants to, but not with the same impact of 2010-nowadays, that will end when the remaining super known faces are gone (unless they bother to build up more remarkable personalities and not just push without support).
Ah...this old thread is even more interesting now ... 20% of the fans who voted believed the group would be disbanded by now...
I'm afraid that more than 300 members would disagree with you since they believed it was interesting enough to vote (and many gave their opinion, too)... Anyway, there's no need to be rude, if you don't like it I'm sure the forum is full of threads far more suitable for you.