It may be a tiny bit more complicated, however, after you administer it for a short while you will find it isvery close to 7-mode.
I now prefer it to 7-mode due to many enhancements (too many to list mind you).
7-mode will be around, just do not expect any new features in 7-mode.
The effort is going into Clustered Data Ontap ( aka cDOT)
With 8.2 and the release of a single-node "cluster", for new installations, there is really no reason
to use 7-mode.
Existing installations should eventually migrate, but the effort will be worth the while.