Is there anyway to turn off the dreaded slot machine date picker in iOS? The date picker in iOS is awful.  Every time I put something on my calendar it's a "game of chance" if I will notified about it.  Combine that with a touch screen and you have a recipe for scheduling disaster.   

I would prefer to select a date from a calendar, or heaven-forbid, type it in using the keyboard!!!!!

Is there any way to turn this thing off?
Simple answer: Nope.

Sorry to disappoint you. I also dislike this new picker. It is found all over the new UI and it is just terrible. Whoever decided this was good design missed the boat.